Finding Home
by LadyBuhg
Summary: Years have past since end of the Hundred Year War. Katara has traveled with confidence, but now she can't help but feel lost. She leaves Aang, and the place they had once called home. She sets out on her own to return to Fire Nation in hopes of healing all that she can. She will find many things on her journey alone, but will she finally find a place she can call home? Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

**Finding Home**

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Light poured into the room as Aang opened the curtains. It was a beautiful morning, and he was ready for the day. He let out a long sigh as he turned to look over at Katara, who was still bundled up in the blankets. This had become routine for him.

Over time, their roles had switched. She used to be the one who was always up first, always up and ready to take on the day. Katara had been the one to wake him with the smell of breakfast, or soft kisses on the nose. She had the been the who had always dressed first, the one who had the day planned. Now, it was him.

In these days, Aang would be the one to set the pace, or he would at least try to. It was a hard transition for him at first, then he was late to one too many meetings. He soon gained the habit of getting himself up early. He would try to wake her, too. At first, it was easy, but as time went on it got harder and harder.

Aang ran his fingertips over her cheek, moving stray strands of dark brown hair from her face. He let out a small, sad huff before he leaned down and placed a small kiss on her lips. He kept still just long enough to get her to stir. Katara furrowed her brows together and huddled the blankets closer to her. She let out a low groan, letting him know of her unwillingness to get up. It was too early, she felt. The blankets were still so warm, and the room was will so cold from the night. Why couldn't he just let her sleep a little longer?

"Come on, Katara," He droned out, for what felt to be the thousandth time. "It's time to get up." This had become the norm, her refusing to get out of bed. Now, she would refuse to go anywhere. She would refuse to leave the house, sometimes she wouldn't even come out of the room. He wasn't even sure if she would leave the bed. For what seemed like days at a time, she would be behind the bedroom door, alone. It hurt his heart, seeing her like this. "We have a meeting with the village leaders."

"No," she whined, dragging the word out as she still refused to even open her eyes.

"We have to get ready." He pestered.

"I don't want to go, Aang." She mumbled into the blankets.

"What?"

"I don't want to."

"Katara, they're expecting us both." Aang pulled the covers away from her chin, exposing her full scowl.

Katara glared up at him and snatched the blankets back up to her neck. "I don't want to go, Aang!" She huffed, and this time she pulled the blankets up to cover her face both from him and the sunlight.

Aang sighed and his shoulders dropped as he hung his head in defeat. "Alright." He let out, just above a whisper.

Katara had started doing this about two years ago now, and it had just gotten worse and worse over time.

In the beginning, she would just take a little longer than usual. They would stay in bed a bit too long, but they just had to rush to get back on track for the day. Then, she would lay in bed for hours after him, to the point that she would merely get dressed and fix her hair for the day. Finally, she stopped getting out of the bed at all and stopped going places with him entirely.

Katara used to be so full of life and joy. Her eyes were bright and her smile was big. There wasn't a day that she didn't laugh. She used to jump at the chance to go out somewhere new, try something different. She would pick flowers on their walks together and put them in her hair as she hummed an old song. She would spend hours training. There was a time when she had a certain energy about her, a certain kind of light that couldn't easily be snuffed out. A happiness that radiated off of her and spread to those around her.

At first, she was involved with Aang and the things he was doing around the world since the war had ended. She had loved going from village to village with him.

Together, they got to announce that the war was over and that people no longer had to live in fear. She would heal the wounded and help rebuild homes with him. They would help people start farms, businesses, charities, sometimes even families.

There was a time when she would wake up at the break of dawn to start her day. She would make them both a light breakfast for the day. Then, she readied her water skins, gathered a pack of herbs, and made her way out to the local infirmaries. She would heal everyone she could. From broken bones, infections, even simple scratches. She would overlook no one, say no to no one, give up on nothing. The old men on their deathbeds. The newborns, who's first breath may have also been their last if it weren't for her.

Aang remembers how she would go and go, almost endlessly. Sometimes he would look at her over his shoulder, seeing the beads of sweat roll off her forehead. He would sometimes see her shake with exhaustion. Aang would place a hand on her shoulder, and try to persuade her into taking a day off, or at least a break. She would always shake her head and look back over to the makeshift hospitals. 'There's still more,' she would say, before making her way back to work.

He had also noticed that the little romance they had, faded over time. They had gone from holding hands almost every second of every day to hardly even looking at each other. There was a time when they would eat dinner together every night. Now, sometimes they didn't even sleep in the same bed.

He remembers how close she would to stand to him, the way she would run to him after he returned from the meeting. She would always bring him his favorite fruits after a long day. She would sometimes rub his shoulders while she sat next to him on the couch. Now they would leave at different times, if she even left, and get back at different times. All without even saying a goodbye, a hello, or even an I love you. He can't remember the last time he's heard those words from her.

He shakes his head. It has been eight years since the war ended, and he thought that by this time, they would be at least married. But now, as he ate alone for the fourth time in a row this week, he wasn't sure if they would even say they were still a couple. There was a time when he would stop by the local jewelers in search of the perfect stone. He would stalk the fabric kiosks looking for the right ribbon. Now he goes straight to work, and straight back to the house.

The house he would love to call home, with her and their imagined babies. He would love to come home to her and a little one after endless meetings. Aang had once imagined a place with baby toys strewn across the floors, dishes in the sink, food on the table. He had once imagined a large field in the back, with plenty of space for both Appa and Momo, and of course the kids to run. This is what he had imagined, wanted, expected. A home, with her.

These days, she would lay in bed all day. The curtains would be kept closed as she hid from the world. Some days she hardly spoke, only a mere sigh escaping her lips every now and then. Other days she wouldn't eat. She would read the same book over and over again. Aang would sometimes wonder if she even flipped the page. Now, there was a certain feeling in the air around her. Something dark and thick. Aang tried to avoid it, and in doing so, he would avoid her. He tried not to, though. He tried to show her that he noticed these things and that he cared.

Aang wipes his mouth and gets up from the table. He makes his way back into the bedroom for his final attempt to get Katara out of the bed.

"Katara, we really have to go, now." He says as sternly as his sad voice will allow him.

She slides the covers down just enough to show her dull eyes. "I already told you,"

"Katara, please!"

"I don't want to sit in a stuffy room with a bunch of old men, making a bunch of dumb rules, Aang!" Katara snaps at him, flopping onto her side and pulling the covers back up to hide her face.

Aang huffs and makes his way over to her side. "I want you with me."

"I don't. Want. To go." She had her eyes shut and her nose wrinkled.

Aang winces and shakes his head, his heart hurting. He leans over her and places a hand on either side of her head. "What has made you so depressed, Katara?" He waits and watches as she stays still, ignoring his question. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Leave me alone." She whines into the blankets as she curls up tighter.

"Katara, please!"

"No, Aang!"

"Why!?"

"Because!" She shouts, and snatches the blankets down as she faces him. "I don't want to deal with all this stupid legal crap! That's all you do anymore, Aang! You just set up laws and tax people. You only permit this or that. You tell people to build that there, ship this here. You know what, Aang? I don't care about that stuff!" She sits up, forcing him to stand upright. "I want to help people again!"

"We do help people." He insists.

Katara shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. "No, not like how we used to."

She thinks back to the way people would rejoice at the news that the Avatar and she were coming to their village. Even the poorest, saddest, most broken down villages would throw a party in their honor. She remembers how men, women, and children alike would cry in joy and relief. People she had never met before, never even seen before, would run to her and hug her like they had known for her years.

She remembers coming across countless rundown shacks that people had been calling home. She and Aang would add new lumber to it. They would add a new coat of paint, a new fence. Men would add a new room to their home, women would want help perfecting a nursery. Katara would always try to give a child a new toy or two. To help bring life, and fill a once hallow home with love.

She had even found a couple of stray water benders along the way. Some of them that had claimed to have family that descended from the Swamp Tribe. Some others would even claim to have blood from the Southern or Northern Tribes. These people were few and far between. But, every time she met another water bender, she would take the time to train that person as much as she could. At least until it was time to head off to next village.

This is what she wanted again. This is what she longed for, this is what she had once lived for. Seeing those men thank them for sending their sons and daughters home. Seeing the mothers hold their soldiers that had finally come home. Seeing the children cling tight to the legs of their parents, who wore military uniforms.

Katara loved helping rebuild those villages, those homes, and those families. She knew that together, she and Aang had made a tremendous difference in the Earth Kingdom. She also knew, though, that were still many other places that needed help. Other countries, that needed help like that. She felt as though they had been neglecting the other nations from the start.

"The world has changed, Katara. It's gotten better!" Aang argued as he extended an arm out, motioning towards the world outside their window.

Aang was right, the world outside their window had changed. But it was the world outside their window, the Earth Kingdom. Not the world outside of a little Water Tribe girls window, or a little Fire Nation boy.

From the start, Aang had tunnel vision on the Earth Kingdom. He was bent on exhuming any and all trace of the Fire Nation from it, which caused a lot of trouble. He hadn't realized, and had a hard time understanding, that some of the people had made their home there. The cultures had begun to mix.

Early on, he had given people of the Fire Nation, or of Fire Nation descent, a reason to look at him the wrong way. Aang had tried to send them away from their own home. Even Zuko questioned him when he found out what he was doing. This put a rift between their relationship, and Aang began to avoid Fire Nation villages.

Aang ignored Fire Nation camps, villages, forts, towns. He ignored the commoners, the commanders, and even the Fire Lord himself. He focused on the Earth Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom alone.

Countless Earth Kingdom towns had been burned to the ground, pillaged, and abandoned. Now the war was over, and Aang helped each town he came across. With every resource he had, the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom flourished. Within the first three years, a dramatic change could be seen. Trading ports had been made, factories and farms alike had been built. Countless new jobs opened up and people flooded into new towns.

A boom in technology and knowledge that rivaled the Fire Nation began to happen. People were finally able to settle down and study new mechanics, new medicines. New schools opened and so many more opportunities had been granted to the people of the Earth Kingdom. A new wave of life was brought to the Earth Kingdom. Death rates plummeted and birth rates were on the rise for the first time in a hundred years.

With the new technology, towns, and cities, were constructed within a year or two. People could plant their roots in these new towns and grow their families. They could have their own businesses and fortunes. From the mechanics to the farmers, the new and innovative were welcomed and praised.

With new medicine, Earth Kingdom shamans and healers turned into herbalists and doctors. Fewer children died before their time. Fewer people died of curable illnesses. Simple wrappings for broken bones turned into braces and casts. Instead of quarantined, people would be vaccinated. Even more serious internal injuries became easier to handle. Intelligent, experienced people would perform surgeries and issue medication. Instead of people being left on the street to die like they used to.

Yes, the Earth Kingdom's world had changed. It had gotten much better in countless ways over the years, but were things any different in the Fire Nation? The Water Tribes? Had the slums of the Fire Nation gotten any better? Were the people in the Water Tribes gaining new technologies? Were people becoming doctors in the Fire Nation? She wondered.

"Has it!?" She throws the covers off her legs and yanks the bottom drawer of her dresser open. She tosses a few clothing items out before she grabs a handful of scrolls from the far back of the drawer. "Look at all these!"

Aang can tell by the color of the scroll rods, the majority of them are from the Fire Nation. She has some others that are from both the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes mixed into the bunch.

"Remember that time I wanted to go back to that fishing village, Jang Hui?" Aang thinks back, recalling her running up to him, scroll in hand. He remembers that old, run-down fishing village they had once stumbled upon. It had bee while on their journeys before the end of the war. He remembers the guy with the hat and Katara disguising herself as the Painted Lady. He remembers her saying something about how they wished she returned. To see their growth. Or maybe they needed her help again? Or maybe it was something else?

"Remember how I told you it was important?" He remembers her hanging onto his arm as she told them they had to go. "But no, you told me that your affairs in the Earth Kingdom needed your attention first. Then we'd go back." She was right. He had yanked her off of him and waved her off. He began to cringe. "That was six or seven years ago now, Aang. Look at all these!" She repeats, but this time she throws some towards him.

Katara huffs and begins to go through the ones she still held onto. "Fire Nation, Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, my own village!" She seethes at the sight of the scroll with her father's emblem. It hung from the scroll by a ribbon. "I ignored messages from my own home, for years! Because what you were doing was always so much more important than what I wanted to do!"

Aang's shoulders drop and he looks away from her. "I... I didn't know. I-"

"You didn't know?" Katara's jaw drops. "I told you! I tried telling you! Over and over and over again!" She shakes her head at him.

Katara had told him about the first few scrolls. She remembers telling him about Jang Hui, as he read one of his own scrolls by candle light. She had told him all about it, and he just read the scroll and hummed or nodded every now and then as she spoke. She had gotten up and left the room, unsure if he had even heard her, or even noticed her absence.

She had tried planting some of these trips into their plan. But, they were always somehow overrun by something. Or someone, who was somehow more important.

She had even packed both of their bags in an attempt to get him to go. Once, she had even begged him to go with her. Katara, a young woman, a master water bender. She had cried as she begged Aang to make time for a trip to the Southern Water tribe.

Aang had agreed after seeing her like that. He had even apologized for putting it off for so long. She had been right, it had been a long time since they had been to the Souther Watertribe. He had said that he missed Sokka and Suki. He had even wanted to see her father, Hakoda, again.

Her heart had jumped with joy. She had once again packed their bags in preparation for their trip. At the last minute, a Commander from the village they had been staying in ran up to the bison as he called for Aang. Once again, her plans had been canceled and put aside. Even after he had agreed, she had packed the bags. Even though they were on Appa, ready to fly away. Even after she had cried. Even after she had begged.

She shook her head. There was going to be no more begging. If that meant no more Aang as well, then so be it. This was it, this was the last day that those scrolls were going to be ignored. She would make sure that every last one of them was answered in some way. It could take her days, weeks, months. It didn't matter. As long as it took, she would do it. Regardless of what he says to try to get her to stay.

"Katara, I'm sorry-" He stops as she holds a hand up to him, still shaking her head.

"No, nope," She looks away from him. "I can't. I can't do this anymore." She turns and begins gathering up the scrolls, making sure to face away from him.

Aang's face falls and his heart begins to break. "Katara, please," He pleads, stepping to her side.

"No!" She whirls around to face him, her scrolls bundled in her arms. She glares at him before she turns around and reaches for a bag from underneath the bed. She drops the scrolls into as she avoids his gaze. Silently, she begins collecting her things from the bedside table. A book.

"Where are you going?" He scurries to her side again, watching as she shoves things into her bag. Her pillow, pairs of socks. She ignores him. "What - where - Katara, please!" She begins bundling up clothes and stuffing them into her bag. Aang grabs her by the arm and stares at her. "Why!?"

"Because!" She snatches her arm away from him. "I can't keep living like this." Her voice cracks, and tears well up in her blue eyes. She shakes her head and tries not to cry as she goes back to stuffing her old bag.

Katara has known for a long time now that she was rotting away in that house. The Earth Kingdom no longer needed support or relief from the other nations, or from them, or from her. With what happened on the Southern Coast, it could now help itself. She wasn't needed here anymore, the people didn't need her, and neither did Aang.

She had known for a long time that he had grown enough to handle this on his own. Even early on, he had made a lot of the harder decisions on his own. He did go to her for advice. He would always take her words into a count, but at the end of the day, he was the one who usually had the last call.

Aang was not a stupid young man. He had built entire villages from the ground up and created the political ladders that would run them. He would set laws into place and hand pick the people would enforce them and create new ones in his absence.

Katara had also known that her abilities and knowledge were needed elsewhere. She could have gone back to the Southern Water Tribe to teach water bending and healing. She could have gone with Toph to the inner rings of Ba Sing Se to eradicate the corrupted government. To bring truth to those who had been lied to by the Dai Li. She could have gone with Zuko and helped do what she and Aang did in the Earth Kingdom there in the Fire Nation.

But for all those years she had stuck beside Aang and done what he wanted to do. Regardless as to how much she longed to see her old friends again. Sure, they met every now and then, but it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to make a difference in their respective areas alongside them, just as she had done for Aang.

She and Aang had found a whole new herd of flying bison, new groups of flying lemurs. They had even found old teachings and beliefs written in scrolls in the Air Temples together. Together, they hard started up schools that taught the old ways of the Air Nomads. Some people even began to adopt them. With the first, small group that had come together, she and Aang began to rebuild one of the Air Temples. She had helped Aang begin a whole new generation of Air Nomads. What could she have done for her other friends?

Would she have helped Toph rekindle her relationship with her mother and father had she gone with her? Would she have helped Azula if she had gone with Zuko? Or even help find his mother? Would she have helped Sokka rebuild their old village? She will never know now.

All this time, she had helped Aang tremendously, but she always felt as though she was stuck in his shadow. He made the headlines, he was the one the people always spoke about. He had parks named after him, even statues made in his honor. When was it her time?

She wasn't envious or jealous. She didn't resent him for what other people saw, but would Toph say her name during the victory speeches? Would Sokka make sure people knew his sister's name and her accomplishments? Would Zuko hold galas in her honor?

Katara remembers getting each one of those scrolls. At first, she felt a certain pride that they had asked for her specifically. She had wanted to respond to them urgently. She had spoken to Aang about them briefly. He had quickly shut her down, explaining to her that he had just one more meeting to go to. Just one more town to travel to, just one more day. Those days turned into weeks, and months, and then years.

For years she had been collecting those scrolls. For years her guilt and anxieties collected as well. She remembers reading the letter from Jang Hui. The new village leader had been present when she was there. He had seen what she had done with his own eyes. He wanted her to visit them again and see their progress.

Apparently, they had gone from small fishing village to a town. Now, they had a fish farm and everything. They had become one of the top fish distributors on that side of the Fire Nation. He also explained to her that one of their sister villagers needed her help. But she had declined with silence. So she could continue on helping Aang.

The silence had gone on for far too long, she figured. She needed to return with her voice. She wanted to organize those scrolls, and answer each one of those calls she had gotten. From the please help to the invitations to parties. She wanted to visit every person and place that had once called for her. Now she felt like she needed to.

She needed to do something for herself this time. She needed to build herself a home. She needed to heal herself. She needed time. For her. Katara needed to water her own plants, so they would grow. She knows, if she doesn't do something soon, she will wither away and die. Like the flowers on their windowsill.

She pauses for a moment to glance at him before she continues packing. "I'm just going." She states flatly, as she fastened her bag and flings it over her shoulder.

Aang shakes his head. "Just going!?" He gasps. Katara pushes past him and begins making her way out of the room. He follows closely behind her.

"Yes, Aang," Katara says this firmly, in an attempt to end the discussion. She doesn't even look behind her to see if he's there. "Just going."

Katara presses the front door open and makes her way out of the house, off the lawn, and into the street. She doesn't stop and she still doesn't look over her shoulder for him. Aang has stopped reaching for her and calling after her. So she assumes he still standing there in the doorway. She hopes that's where he is. Behind her.

She moves her bag to her side and reaches a hand into it, digging for a specific scroll. She goes through a couple before she finds the one she's looking for. The one from Jang Hui. She reads over it briefly before she stuffs it back down into her bag.

Katara makes a couple stops, one to pick up a few letter sets and another to pick up a second bag for some snacks. Then, she continues her way to the harbor.

It's not too far of a walk and she keeps a fast pace. By the time she gets there she's sweating and slightly panting. The sun is about an hour away from beginning to set. The sky is spotted with clouds that only just beginning to show shades of pink and purple. The water is calm. She knows there must be at least two ships that will pass over the ocean between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation.

"One ticket." She says to the man in the toll booth. He reads her seal before handing her a single, one-way ticket.

Katara finds the ship and makes her way up the ramp. It's not until she gets to the stern of the ship that she begins to notice people stopping and staring at her. That's when she remembers who she is, and who she's supposed to be with. She can't help but huff and roll her eyes before she makes her way into the bulk of the ship to find her room.

She's not in there long. She only tosses her bag down onto the cot before she makes her back out onto the stern. She takes a seat on the port side of the ship and watches as the final people make their way up the ramp. It takes longer than she expected before the horn is blown and the ship begins to move.

Now the sky is darkened and the sun has dipped below the horizon. The stars are now visible, as well as the moon. Katara lets out a sigh as she closes her eyes, feeling the soft breeze brush up against her skin. She sits still and listens to the waves rush against the hull of the ship for a while before she looks up at the sky.

Tonight, the moon is full and glowing beautiful over the calm seas. Light glitters over the waves the ship makes as it cuts through the water. She sighs again and gazes up at the moon.

"Yue," She says softly. Tears well up in her eyes, but she stiffens up and holds them back. She silently pleads for the moon spirit to guide her. After all, she doesn't know where she's going. She just knows she's going.

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 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think! I'm also looking for a Beta Reader, so if anyone is interested, please let me know. Thanks again!


	2. Chapter 2

**Finding Home**

* * *

Katara doesn't even have to step off the boat to realize that she'd reached her destination. The room is already filled with hot, humid air. Her cot is soaked with sweat and her hair sticks to her forehead. Her original plan was to first find a place to sleep. Now she thinks she should find lighter clothing first.

Katara quickly combs through her long, dark brown, hair with her fingers. She finds a band and ties her hair up into a high ponytail. This will have to do until she can find someone to do her hair properly for this heat. She grabs her bag and makes her way down to the dock. Reading the signs posted on the welcoming board just outside of the port, she finds that she's on one of the islands near Jang Hui. Not quite there yet, but close.

At first, she doesn't recognize the town. But, as she makes her way through the small town, she realizes that she's been here before. She had been here while she and the group had been in disguise as Fire Nation citizens. This is where Aang attended a school; she remembers that she and he danced in a cave with a bunch of the school kids. It's an old memory, but a good one. She can't help but laugh and feel a bit sad at the same time

She can't remember the last time she has seen her brother. The last she heard, he and Suki were in the Southern Water Tribe, but she was sure they hadn't stayed there long. She makes a mental note to send their father a letter, in hopes of finding out Sokka's whereabouts. She also can't help but feel bad for Aang. They had spent nearly every day together since she had found him in that iceberg, all those years ago. She misses him, she really does.

Those days were great, even though all the trouble. It had been fun with Aang. For a long time, he was her best friend. Once the group split up and went their separate ways, that friendship evolved into a relationship. Well into their first years together as a couple, they would play games and laugh with each other. They had countless inside jokes. For a few days, they even had a secret handshake, before they forgot it. They danced together for no reason. Ate dinner together every night. She and Aang would stay up all night just talking afterward. They had lived together. Made love together.

She lets out a sigh as she looks up towards the cliffs. She's pleasantly surprised. The school Aang had gone to is still there and it looked like it was still in use. It's early afternoon and in the open courtyards, Katara can just make out what must be groups of kids playing, chasing each other around and tossing circular disks to one another. It must be some sort of break or recess before or after lunch.

.

At the thought of lunch, her stomach growls. But she can't help but feel a bit of distaste towards Fire Nation food. Their grilled fish was great, especially the eel. That dish had reminded her of home, where they often ate arctic eel for dinner. Here, in the Fire Nation, the food was often too spicy for her, though. But, she had managed once before, so she would again. Though her stomach doesn't ache for food and she doesn't have an appetite, she still can feel it grumble. Her depression had stolen her want for food a long time ago. Even through her numbed senses, she knew she needed to eat, so she placed food on the list.

Food, clothes, shelter. The list runs through her mind, like a mantra. She feels a pang of nostalgia at this list and the urgency she feels to complete it. Those three things were all she had seemed to worry about the last time she had stepped foot on this island. Last time she and the Gaang had been in a much direr situation. She needed to slow down and try to enjoy herself this time around, she reminded herself as she slowed her pace. Sweat continued to roll down her forehead and dripped off her brow. She can relax this time. The list is still important. It just doesn't have to get done with such haste this time.

At this time of day, it won't be hard to find a place that sells food. People are all lined up around the corners of some buildings. It's lunch rush. Just follow the people and follow her nose and she'll find food. A man in dark clothes carrying a small case catches her eye. He looks important and in a rush. He'll probably know which food stand has the fastest service. She quickens her pace to catch up to him.

Katara huffs. 'Slow down!' She reminds herself yet again. Even after all these years, she still feels a certain uneasiness around Fire Nationers. Things are different now, though. She doesn't have to hurry and she doesn't have to hide her identity anymore. She doesn't have to rush to gather food and find a disguise before she hurries off to where ever the group has Appa hidden. There is no group. There is no Appa. There is no hiding. There is only her.

She can do whatever she wants. She stops in her tracks for a moment. But what does she want to do? Why did come here again? The reason has escaped her in the adrenaline of it all. Oh! She remembers.

Katara turns on her heel and begins to read the street signs. Where is she located in the town? It seems to her, and from the signs posted around, she is just outside of the heart of it. There are homes, the school, and a few shops in this area. She needs to find the center. The hospital or the Town Hall will surely be there.

This town has certainly become more developed since the last time she was here. She notices there are now more taller buildings, as she heads towards the inner part of the town. She wouldn't call it a city, but it had potential. She begins to see more and more shop signs. More business logos, and more important people and buildings. It doesn't take long for her to find the hospital.

She presses the doors open and finds the front desk. A lovely young woman with jet black hair pulled up in two buns greets her. Her bright brown eyes seem kind at first, but Katara can't help but see something ill-tempered behind the facade.

"Hello and good afternoon! Are you here to see someone?" She asks a little too sweetly, brush between her fingers with well-manicured nails. Poised, ready to sign Katara in. She presses her lips together and seems to already be getting impatient, as Katara hesitates a bit before she answers.

"I'm here to see anyone."

The woman raises a brow and cocks her head to one side. "Anyone?" She echoes, unsure of what Katara means.

"Yes. I'm a healer." Katara smiles wide.

"Oh..." The woman draws out, as she looks over her shoulder. She's sitting at one of two large, half-moon desks, with a co-worker stationed behind her, facing away from her at her own desk. The older woman looks back at her over her own shoulder, feeling the tension and awkwardness rise in the air, before glancing towards Katara, then back to the young receptionist. She shrugs before returning to her paperwork. The receptionists turned back towards Katara. "Who sent you?" She inquires, with a kind of snooty attitude.

"No one." Katara's face falls.

The young woman furrows her brow and shakes her head. "We can't just let anyone into the rooms. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"No, look!" Katara seeps some water from the air and holds a small sphere of water over her palm. "I'm a water bender. I can heal almost anything."

At this point, the receptionist is standing and making her way through one of the gaps between the two desks and around the counter. "I'm sorry," She huffs. "But everyone is doing just fine. We have very good doctors here."

Before she closes in on Katara, Katara reaches into her bag pulls out her seal. The young woman jerks back, having the seal shoved into her face. She shoots Katara a dirty look before she slowly takes the slip from her hand to read it carefully.

"Master Katara?" She asks. She hands the slip back to the water bender. "Where's the Avatar?" The young woman stretches her neck out, looking over Katara's shoulder for Aang.

"He's not here," Katara states slowly, taking her turn to shoot the receptionist a look. "I am. I'm here to heal the sick and wounded."

This time the receptionist huffs and rolls her eyes as she shakes her head. "Are you lost?" Katara's jaw nearly drops. "We're not in the slums, and the war is over. We have doctors now. We don't need you here."

"Do you not have sick and wounded!?" Katara growls.

"We do, but we also have medicine." The receptionist presses a hand on Katara's shoulder, pushing her towards the doorway. "You need to leave now." She growls.

With that, Katara was pushed out of the doors and into the street. Before she can even say something back, the young woman has slipped back into the building and out of sight. At first, Katara wants to march back in there and demand to see people, but the girl is right. In a developing town like this, their people can easily be cared for. But is every town like this now? Is Katara needed anywhere now? Wanted anywhere? Other than in the Earth Kingdom,besides Aang?

It takes a moment before she begins walking again. She felt as though she had been slapped in the face. It had been many years since the last time she was treated with such ill manners. Where does she go from here? She wonders. Should she just go ahead and cross the island and take a ferry to Jang Hui? Should she stay on this island a little longer, looking for little villages that could use her help? Does she stay and rest here for a day? Or does she go back to Aang?

She huffs and wipes the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. She is still in need of new clothes. She decides to focus on this for now. Katara roams around the center square of the town, in search of some nice clothes. There is one, small, boutique that catches her eye. It has an old, dark wood exterior, but the shopping windows must be new. They are large, allowing much of the inside to be seen from the street.

Most of the stores have mainly red clothes, classic Fire Nation attire. This store had all sorts of clothes, even takes on Water Tribe styles. Before she opens the door, a small sign hung on the old, splintering wooden wall catches her attention.

'Endorsed by Fire Lord Zuko.' It reads.

Why? She wonders as she pulls open the heavy wooden door. She takes a moment to look around all the clothing items. She seems common Fire Nation outfits, as well as items that must be Fire Nation renditions of the other nations common attire. While other outfits look imported. She spots a lovely Earth Kingdom dress that looks fit for a lady of the inner ring of Ba Sing Se. She even spots a take on an Air Nomad outfit.

It's a lovely dress. It's yellow with a red sash. The yellow under part of the dress is adorned with red thread that's meant to look like vines. With red leaves and flowers sprouting here and there. The sash has gold trimming that matches the gold waistband and it has been paired with brown flats that have perforated flower patterns cut out above the toes. The shoes are lovely, she's never seen anything like them. She holds onto them as she continues to look around.

She wonders as she shops around if that was the kind of dress Aang would want her to wear had they gotten married. Would he have wanted her to integrate more of the Air Nomad customs into her life and wear their styles of clothing? It was a nice outfit, but she wasn't sure if it suited her. Just as the lifestyle she was living while she was with Aang, it just wasn't her. She pushes the thoughts of Aang and that could-have-been future from her thoughts and continues on looking around the shop.

Soon after, further into the shop, she spots an outfit reminiscent of her old Water Tribe robes. The colors and fabrics are different of course, she is in the Fire Nation, after all. The main color of the robe is a beautiful deep maroon color. The trimmings are an even darker maroon color, nearly brown. Her old robe had white fur trimming on the bottom. This dress has the same trimming only with fur in the same dark maroon color as the trimming on the dress. This fur is also not as thick or dense. Instead, it's thin and light. It almost looks like some kind of bird, the way some of the strands stick out. They could be feathers. The leggings paired with the robe are made from a thin, stretchy, black fabric. The shoes must be meant to be the focal point of this outfit. They are peep toe sandals that are made in a soft, glossy gold material.

She is ready to get out of the thicker, starchy, clothing she currently wears. Of course, they're not as thick as the parkas she wore at home, but they were still far too heavy for the heat in the Fire Nation. The dress, made from soft, thin material is what she needed to change into.

"Oh hello!" A sing-song voice startles Katara. She nearly drops the shoes she had been holding onto from earlier. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in!" A young lady says as she makes her way towards the door. "I have got to fix these bells," She giggles before she snatches a strand of bells from the wall. They must have gotten caught on a loose nail or something. "Are you finding everything alright?" She asks kindly, looking back towards Katara over her shoulder.

Katara takes a small moment to look at the girl. She seems eerily familiar. She has an adorable round face and nose. Her eyes are brown as well as her hair, which is pulled up into a high ponytail, braided down her slender back. She decides to not give it much thought, as she's taken long enough to answer.

"Yes, thank you." Katara smiles and returns her gaze to the outfit before her. It's so like what she wore when she was younger, yet so different at the same time. She really does like it, but she just wasn't sure.

Katara rubs the fabric of the robe between her fingers. It's so light and airy **,** she's sure it will keep cool in this thick heat. She lets out a huff as she waves her hand in front of her face a few times. It was so hot and humid here. She needed to find a new outfit soon. She picks it up and folds it over her arm. This will have to do.

She makes her way over to the counter, where the young woman now stands. Katara carefully places her items on the counter.

"Those shoes, too?" The girl asks, pointing the brown pair of shoes Katara still holds in her hands.

"Oh," Katara looks down at them, examining them as she makes up her mind. She doesn't need three pairs of shoes, but they are cute. "No." She places them on the far end of the counter. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her seal, handing it to the girl across from her.

With furrowed brows, she reads it. "Master Katara?" She asks as she looks up. Katara smiles and nods. "Wow! What an honor to meet you!" She does a small bow before handing the seal back to Katara. "I'm Ty Lat." The girl gives a small wave and smile.

Katara gives a genuine smile back. So perhaps she had been correct earlier when she took a moment to look at the girls features. This girl, who looked so familiar, must be one of Ty Lees six identical sisters. If only she had been the girl at the hospital earlier. Before Ty Lat has a chance to bag the items, Katara asks if there is any kind of changing room. She wants to get into the new clothes quickly before she bakes in the thicker Earth Kingdom attire. The young woman smiles, understanding how unbearable the heat can be sometimesand points to a back room hidden behind some curtains.

Katara changes quickly. Everything fits her nicely and she decides to pull her ponytail up into a round bun, as they seem to be popular in the Fire Nation. Having her hair away from the back of her neck is an instant relief. She should have done it sooner. She places her old clothes into a bag from the store and makes her way back out into the showroom. Ty Lat smiles and waves, wishing her a good day. Just before Katara reaches the door, she pauses.

"Wait," Katara holds a finger up, indicating she needs just another minute of the girls time. "That sign out there," Katara motions towards the front of the store. "What does it mean? 'Endorsed by Fire Lord Zuko'?" Katara has made her way back over to the counter.

"Oh, we're part of the RR&A." Ty Lat and laughs lightly. Katara blinks. "The Revitalize and Reunite Act. Put in place by Fire Lord Zuko." Katara raises a brow and remains silent. "If your store has a majority of items inspired by, or imported from the other nations, the Fire Lord will endorse your business. This means we get discounts on wholesale items to stock the store. We also get tax breaks, and in certain situations, he will even give us grants to help us out in times of need."

"Really?" Katara asks, leaning in a bit to hear more.

"Yes! Lots of businesses have joined or signed up to be considered. We were actually one of the first. My grandmother has always had an affinity for Earth Kingdom fashion. Especially from the inner ring of Ba Sing Se." The young woman pulls out a painting from under the counter.

Katara gently takes it from her. It's a portrait of a young woman standing next to another. Their outfits are like nothing Katara has ever seen before. She figures one must be the grandmother, and the other must be a well-known fashion designer. Probably from the inner ring of Ba Sing Se. But Katara can only guess so much.

"My grandmother has started taking inspiration from the other nations as well, now that it's actually encouraged."

"That's very nice." Katara smiles.

"Yes," Ty Lat takes the photo back and giggles before she gets serious again. "The Fire Lord created this act to help bring people together, and to show Fire Nation citizens the beauty of the other nations. He has endorsed many businesses, created museums and libraries. They showcase art, history, and teachings from the other nations. We even have new holidays now." The girl pauses and tilts her head to the side. "I believe one of them was made in your honor, Master Katara."

Katara's jaw drops a bit. What? A holiday? In her honor? Ty Lat, guessing from Katara's expression, she has no idea about any of this. She reaches a little further down behind the counter and pulls out a paper calendar. She flips through a few months before landing on one in the winter. She finds the day marked with a dot that has small text written beside it. She points to this day.

"Honor our Healers Day." She informs. "This is the day we send gifts to our doctors, pharmacists, and our physicians. It's usually themed around the Northern Water Tribe, I think?" She pauses for a second. "They have a lot of healers?" She asks. Katara nods. "But I think it has a lot to do with you, too. You have the healing ability, don't you?"

"Yes, I once healed the people of Jang Hui."

"Oh, yes! I remember learning about that. Word had spread really fast about what you did, you know." Ty Lat deepens her voice a bit. "The water bender girl who travels with the Avatar healed a whole village!" Katara smiles, watching as Ty Lat imitates a man telling people about what he had heard.

Ty Lat continues on in her regular voice. "I think that's what inspired it. What you did in Jang Hui. You dressed up as the Painted Lady! " The girl giggles again, lightly covering her mouth with her hand. "I wrote a report on her in my last year of school. You were in the article I used for one of my references."

Katara's eyes glimmer. She can't believe what she's hearing. Zuko had found out about what she did, and now has a whole holiday centered around her healing abilities? Around her people and their element? There are articles of her that reference what she's done in the Fire Nation? Kids read them in school? Do people read them in the libraries?

Katara thanks the girl before she leaves. It's later in the day now, and she knows she needs to make up on her mind on what she's going to do next. Is she going to find a way to quickly cross the island to get to a ferry? Or should she stay here for the night? She walks around aimlessly as she racks her brain. She's not used to making decisions on her own. There was usually always someone with her who needed to do something. Or go somewhere that influenced the decision more. Now it was just her and her plans, but she had no deadline or time frame. She could take all the time she needed. She scowls at the thought of the girl from the hospital. She probably shouldn't spend too much time in this particular town. She wasn't needed here, after all.

It was a cute town, but she wasn't sure if it was worth exploring. She passes by a store with darkened windows, showing her reflection a bit. She notices her hair done up in a messy, round, bun that looks like a bird-bats nest **.** Her new outfit is nice, but her bag is dingy and dirty. One side of the straps is hanging on by a few threads.

Her list was beginning to grow. Food, shelter, hair, bag. The clothes were taken care of, thank goodness. She lets out a sigh of relief as a breeze brushes against her back. She can actually feel it through the fabric. She should probably collect more clothing made from this material, she figures. She would return to the store from earlier. For now, she decided to look for a store that was centered more around outdoor goods. A place like that should carry a good, strong bag that would last well on her travels.

She stumbles upon a place that sells mainly fishing related items. It takes her a while of searching through the store, but she eventually finds a good backpack with many pockets. It has two large pockets and has many smaller ones. All the spaces must be meant for all sorts of different fishing gear. But for her, this will be perfect for her old clothes, her new ones, and snacks. She reminds herself to try to continue packing light.

There are a lot of cute stores around that sell little knick knacks and home decor items. But she doesn't have a home anymore, she reminds herself. She has no place to decorate or call her own. She doesn't need that koi fish figurine. Or the vase that would look lovely with big, white flowers filling it. She doesn't need that gorgeous vanity made out of dark wood. Her stomach growls again.

She does need food. She runs the list through her head. Food, shelter, hair. It's later in the day now. Food places will probably be open a bit late, inns open even later, but hairdressers will be closing soon.

Now as she walks she makes a point to look at the women's hairdos. What would suit her? She wonders. She remembers how she wore her hair when she had come to the Fire Nation before. She shakes her head. She has no idea how she had dealt with the heat with her thick hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back. She won't be wearing that hair style again until later in the year.

She sees many buns, bangs, and other kinds of updos. None that have really caught her eye, though. She remembers how that Ty Lee girl did her hair, in a high, tight ponytail. That could work. She remembers Mai wearing her hair in two buns, with two stands down over her shoulders. Azula used to wear a small bun with only two small side bangs. She could use one of their old hairstyles.

Before she settles on one of those three, she notices a group of girls that must be around her age. One has her hair pulled into two braids on each of her shoulders. Another has a single bun on top of her head with the rest of her straight black hair falling down her back. One has her hair pulled into two, round, buns that sit high on both sides of her head. The last one has a braid running down the side of her head, with her bundled up just over the nape of her neck.

Katara finally finds a hair place and keeps those braided updos in mind. Braids were common in the Water Tribes. She wonders if a salon in the town is part of the RR&A, and that's why the styles are becoming popular. She gets her hair washed and tells the woman to just a do some sort of braided updo.

The woman makes many comments on Katara's hair, but never one that seems to be negative. This makes her happy, remembering the girl at the hospital again. Katara hadn't had her feelings hurt like that in a long time. With hair, so different from Fire Nation natives, she had expected to be turned away. But she had been welcomed here. She was grateful for the girl in the clothing store and the stylist here in the salon. At least some people in the Fire Nation weren't so snooty and harsh.

With skilled fingers, the woman pulls Katara's hair into a plait running up the back, then into a bun on her head. With the braid continuing around the bun, it's a cute style and it will securely keep her hair up, even the baby hairs that like to gather at the back of her neck.

Katara thanks the woman and shows her seal before she leaves **.** She's starting to feel like she's abusing her privilege. Even though she and the rest of the Gaanghad been pardoned by every nation, she and Aang often still paid with coins. Some people would refuse, but, for the most part, people took them with gratitude. She hadn't even thought about packing any, though. She had no form of money on her, other than the seal.

She would sadlyhave to use it at least two more times today. Shelter, food. She ran over the list silently. It was dusk now and her mouth watered for some eel; She hadn't had any in so long. She finds a place near the sea and orders a small dish. Sukoshi Unagi, it's called. Small black eels that are cooked to perfection. She eats and leaves quickly before she makes her way down the shoreline.

There's a small inn near the ports and she ordered a room for one, using her seal for the final time that day. The room is small, damp and smells of fish, but she doesn't mind, as it has a great view of the ocean. She can hear the sounds of the waves and see the full moon beginning to rise over the water. She bundles up in the scratchy blankets. She has her window propped open and the breeze from the ocean flows in. She lets out a long, contented, sigh. It feels good, to hear the waves and feel the breeze they make. The air is still humid, but much cooler now. For the first time in a long time, maybe she will sleep peacefully throughout the whole night. Now that she doesn't have someone trying to talk to her for hours on end about something or someone she doesn't care about.

Her eyes are still open, though. As she gazes towards the moon, shining bright once again. The sky is clear and the stars are beginning to glisten. She silently thanks Yue for getting her across that water safely. And getting her through this first day. It had been long and hard. Her feet ache, she notices, as she thinks about how much she must have walked today. Then she remembers her conversation at the clothing boutique. She smiles at the thought of Zuko sitting down at a desk, carefully picking a day to make a holiday. Katara can't believe that he had done that. She also couldn't believe that she had any idea about the Revitalize and Reunite Act he had put in place. She remembers the whole Harmony Restoration Movement and how smoothly that had not gone. Zuko had been right to want to allow his people to stay in the colonies. They had made their home there **.**

Katara thinks back to when Aang had wanted everyone who had originally hailed from the Fire Nation to leave the colonies and return home. Only he hadn't meant just that. Aang had profiled people in the colonies. If your hair was too dark, your skin too light, or your eyes too amber, you must have been from the Fire Nation. That meant you had to leave. Aang had wanted to tear families apart, send people away, to land they had never been to before.

He had failed to accept that people had integrated into the Earth Kingdom and the cultures had begun to merge. People began to mix. People had begun to bring a new life to the land, and reunite on their own. Perhaps that conflict in the Earth Kingdom is what sparked the idea. The act Zuko put in place in the Fire Nation was made to do just that. Only in the homeland.

It was a brilliant idea. She remembers Iroh speaking about the many years of the Fire Lords shunning and even banning influences from the other nations Now, Zuko welcomed it. He encouraged it, he endorsed it. Even in this small town, Katara had seen with her own eyes the difference it made. The streets weren't covered in people adorned with only red fabric. There was orange, yellow, blue, purple, and green. She had seen an Earth Kingdom man hugging a Fire Nation woman. She held an obviously mixed baby on her hip as she stepped off the boat. She had even seen a man in classic Air Nomad yellow robes, book under his arm. She swore she had seen a water bender serving soup at one of the food stalls.

She was happy Zuko had won that small battle. He remembers him making a statement. Those who wish to go to the Fire Nation were to board the ships, while those who did not would stay. It had been as simple as that. Where ever you felt your home was that was where you should go and be. Katara smiles. With the act put in place, it made the Fire Nation a welcoming home for so many people. It didn't matter if your skin was as dark as someone from the Water Tribes, or as light as some from the Fire Nation. You could be as clean-shaven as an Air Nomad, or as scruffy as an Earth Kingdom miner. You were welcome here, in the Fire Nation.

She yawns. She wonders if she will still be welcomed in Jang Hui. After all this time, she's not sure if her invitation still stands. She doesn't want another encounter like the one at the hospital. She needs to remember to go through her scrolls in the morning and begin writing back to those old messages. She begins to go through a new list. Scrolls, Jang Hui. She yawns again, her eyes squinting and distorting her view of the moon. She relays the list one more time before sleep takes over. Scrolls, Jang Hui.

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 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	3. Chapter 3

**Finding Home**

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The room is filled with light as the Sun rises to the middle of the sky. Katara has slept well past the morning and into the afternoon. She can't help but smile as she stretches. Finally, a morning she got to sleep in without being pestered to get up. She has felt so incredibly tired for the past few years. Maybe now she will finally be able to catch up on the years' worth of sleep she's lost over the years.

Since the loss of her mother, it had always been early mornings and late nights for her. First it was in her village, helping every member she could. Then, she met Aang and set out on that exhaustivejourney. After that, it was the early meetings she had to attend. Now for once, she's free to determine what time she gets up. She isn't on anybody else's time. She has no real schedule now. If she wants to stay in this room, in this bed for days, she could. But she doesn't want to. She wants to get to Jang Hui.

'What was the list?' She silently asks herself. Scrolls, Jang Hui. That was it, she remembers. She slowly gets out of the bed and pulls her stationary set from her bag. The room isn't big and doesn't have much in it, but it does have a small desk. She takes a seat and begins organizing the scrolls.

She takes the one from Jang Hui and reads over it first. It's written by the village leader. He asks for her to come visit them again to see good she had done for them. Towards the bottom, there is a plea. The village leader asks if she would spare time to help them in the aid of one of their sister villages, Jong Shoi. The factories waste has polluted their waters as well, and they needed help. She had helped Jang Hui tremendously, and he felt as though she could do the same for Jong Shoi.

She presses her lips together and places the scroll aside. 'I'll be there soon,' She tells him silently. 'Finally,' She lets out a sigh as she pulls out the next scroll.

She spends a couple hours sitting there at the desk. Reading through the scrolls and replying to some. Her heart aches. She finds that three of the twelves scrolls had been from the village leader of Jang Hui. Each scroll became more and more urgent. The message had gone from an invitation and an inquiry, to an absolute cry for help before there no more delivered. She prayed to the Moon and Ocean spirits that she had not failed them with her silence.

Through stifled tears, she replies to four messages. After reading the two messages that had followed the first from the village leader, Hiko, she feels a sudden urgency to get to Jang Hui. There are five scrolls left, but she decides to save them for later. She carefully labels the scrolls she's written and rolls them, before carefully placing them into her bag. She fixes the stray strands of hair that had fallen during the night and changes into the new outfit she had bought the other day. She packs her things and tidies the room before she heads into town.

Katara stops by a few stores to buy a few things she knows she's going to need on her travels. A warm blanket that's not too heavy and can easily be folded. A canister for water, a parka to protect her from the rain, and some dried jerky and other foods that will take a while to spoil.

Her new, large backpack still has plenty of room and extra pockets, but she can't help but feel like her old Earth Kingdom clothes are weighing her down. Maybe it's not in the physical weight they carry, but the mental one. She spots a large container on the corner of a street. It reads, 'Kindly Donate. Be a part of the RR&A.' She smiles, seeing that many people have already placed decent looking clothing into the container. She takes her Earth Kingdom clothes and places them into the container, folded nicely on top of the pile. She pauses for a moment, before she heads towards the clothing store she had been at the day prior. She can't help but smile, Zuko really has thought of everything.

Ty Latis there as before, and she greets Katara kindly. She helps the water bender pick out a new wardrobe that is both trendy and fit for her travels. Katara can't help but smile at how much the girl giggles at the smallest thing. She wonders if it's a nervous habit or if the girl is really just that happy. Katara hopes that she's just like her sister, and it is genuine happiness. Katara tightly folds the new clothes and places them deep down into the bag to keep them safe. She thanks the girl for her help before she leaves.

Katara wasn't hungry and had no appetite, but she knew she would have to eat something before setting off. She wasn't sure if she would have to cross the island on foot or if they now had some form of better transportation. There would still be a lot of walking to do and with this heat, she wanted to try to protect herself from exhaustion. She stops by a small food stall and picks a small bowl of soup, some kind of broth with pig-chicken meat, noodles, and vegetables. It was good soup, though. It actually wasn't too spicy for her. She would have to remember this dish.

After eating, though, she realizes just how late it's gotten into the day. She had woken up in the afternoon, and spent a good few hours writing her letters. She lets out a huff. She would have to take yet another day until she can finally travel to Jang Hui. She was restless, and didn't want to go back to the inn just yet.

She remembers the scrolls in her bag and decides she should go ahead and send her replies off. She reads the signs that are posted around the corners of streets for any direction to a messenger hawk station. It doesn't take her too long, with the closer she got the more birds flew overhead and the more squawking she can hear. The man at the window greets her kindly as she pulls the scrolls from her bag. He simply reads her seal before taking the scrolls and nodding at her, silently telling her that's all he needed.

Katara lingers a bit around the post building, unsure of where to go or what to do next. The sky is beginning to darken, stores are closing, and people are headed home. She is still restless. She wants to find a way to Jang Hui now, but she knows tomorrow will be better, with more time in the day. She decides to head back to the same inn she had stayed in the night before and get to sleep earlier.

It doesn't take her long to get back to the inn, as she's learning a bit of the town. She's in a different room now, after returning her key earlier in the morning, thinking she wouldn't be coming back for another night. But, this room also has a view of the bay. She props the window open again, allowing the sounds and smells of the salty ocean ways to fill the room. The moon is now in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars.

Katara curls up on the bed as she gazes up at the moon. She's taken over with a sudden exhaustion, even though she had barely done anything that day. She doesn't fight it, she lets the sleep take over her. She knows she's headed to Jang Hui first thing in the morning.

It's day break, and after walking the outskirts of the village, she finds a station of eel-hounds. A line is formed in front of a small shack with a large front window. That must be where you get your tickets from. She stands in line for what seems like hours. She counts six eel-hounds come and go before she's finally the one at the window.

She goes through the rounds. Asks for one ticket, shows her seal, is given a raised brow for traveling without the Avatar, followed by the slip. She mounts an eel hound with one other person and the handler. She's never ridden one before, but she knows these creatures are incredibly fast on land and in water.

As they travel across the island, alongside the eel-hound trail, there is a large clearing running along the tree line. The handler explains to Katara that there are plans to run a train track there. It will connect the three sister islands. The one they're on, which is farthest to the East, the one where Jang Hui is, the middle island, and the one where Shu Jing is, the city farthest to the West, the island where Sokka had been trained by Master Piandao. The villages on these islands have transformed into towns and cities. They're becoming more and more industrious. A train will be much more efficient than the eel-hounds.

The handler explains more, but his words drown out by Katara's thoughts. As they cross the land, she can't but notice the other towns and villages they pass on the way. The other passenger she had boarded with gets off at one. Just from the stop, she can see a bustling town. But others they pass, don't seem so advanced. She wonders if she should stop. If she should get off here and see if she could do anything to help those villages. Were they even in need of any help? Were there still run-down slums here? Would she be needed anywhere?

She presses these thoughts from her mind as the eel-hound slips into the water. She needs to stay focused on returned to Jang Hui. With the urgency that Hiko had written her all those years ago, she knew she had put off returning for far too long. She was so close now. She couldn't put it off any longer. As soon as she steps foot on the island she asks for directions to Jang Hui. The person manning the station hands her a map. She circles the 'city' she calls it, and explains to Katara how to get there. They exchange thanks before Katara turns on her heel and walks with haste.

The lady at the toll told her it shouldn't take long on foot, but Katara finds an ostrich-horse carriage and takes it in attempt to get to her destination as quickly as she can. Jang Hui is more towards the center of the island and is surrounded by water and cliff sides. The carriage passes over many small bridges before they reach their destination.

Katara steps out of the carriage and is in immediate awe. There is now a large, rather grandiose entrance to the city, with a big welcoming sign made from clay. She can tell from her high vantage point that there are now countless houses in this floating city. She can see buildings stacked stories high, many large warehouses and factories. So many people on the streets, too. She carefully and slowly makes her way down the new steps that run alongside one of the cliff faces. Once she gets to the welcoming courtyard she is greeted by a fountain with a statue in the middle.

It is no one other than the Painted Lady. Katara gazes up at the beautiful statue, with its arms lightly stretched outwards, welcoming all to the city. It is crafted beautifully from clay. It's a pale color, not quite white. It's detailing is incredible. Some of the material so thin the light could shine through, as it would fabric. The hair was detailed, the face and body paint, the hat even resembled straw.

The breath catches in Katara's throat as she notices something. Where there should be deep amber eyes, there are bright blue ones. Katara gasps as she reaches out, gently placing a hand on the statue. Was this done on purpose or had someone defaced the statue recently? She looks hard at the eyes. They weren't painted over. In fact, theywere some sort of stone embedded into the face. They were meant to be there. They were meant to be blue. They were meant to resemble her eyes.

A statue? In her honor? Katara shakes her head at herself as she swallows hard. No, her memory must be failing her. The Painted Lady must have blue eyes then, instead of the deep amber ones she swears she remembers.

She begins to walk around the city almost aimlessly. She knows she's headed towards the middle, but not immediately. She walks around, taking in just how much this place has changed. When she had visited, it was nothing but old wooden pathways and shacks. Now, there are stone pilings with metal rollers that move with the water underneath everything. The streets are made of concrete as well as the majority of the buildings. There are no longer any huts. In their places are strong, sturdy buildings.

She notices the people. The streets are bustling and all businesses seem to be doing well. Some people are pressing by her and walking fast, trying to get somewhere with haste. Others are seated under awnings, eating a late lunch or early dinner. No one seems to riddled with illnesses or hunger. She sees one man with a broken leg. He has a cast and crutches.

She is astounded. These people have gone from living in a slum to living in a well-established city. They have gone from dying of starvation or illness on the side of the street to having the resources to combat those sorts deaths. Their bones no longer healed incorrectly, leaving them handicap for life. This couldn't possibly be because of what she did, could it?

"Katara...?" She hears a voice call out. She stops in her tracks and looks around. "Katara." A young man repeats firmly. She spots him staring at her with wide eyes. He looks like he had been struck by something as he rushes over to her, eyes fixated on hers. He's wearing a formal outfit. His hair is slicked back and his facial hair is trimmed nicely. She doesn't recognize him. "Is it really you?" He asks, having now reached her.

Katara furrows her brows but nods.

"You must come with me. Immediately." He doesn't even give a chance to say no. He takes her by the arm and hustles away with her. "I can't believe I recognized you after all these years," He pants, his fast pace taking the air out of him. "I've seen pictures of you in newspapers and on posters, long ago that had your name on them. Some spoke about what you done for our village, others were wanted posters for traveling with the Avatar. But now you look so different." She is still so stunned and confused by what's going she can't speak. So, she stays silent as he brings her to a large building with stairs and pillars in the front. She doesn't get to read any signs before she's brought inside.

It must be an important building. The rooms are large with white walls. The floors are a shiny wood. There are few people in the walkways and any conversation is in a hushed voice.

He takes her to a room with large, double doors. It has the same wood flooring as the rest of the building. A large bookshelf is up against the wall behind a large wooden desk that is placed in the middle of the room. The man sets Katara in the seat in front of the desk as he takes the one behind it.

"Do you know who I am?" He asks in a rushed voice. She shakes her head no. She has gripped her bag firmly, her hands low on the strap, closer to her water skin she has at her waist. "I'm Mayor Hiko. I'm the one who wrote you all those years ago."

Katara lets out a small gasp. The man who was once the village leader had become the city's mayor. How on earth had he recognized her?

She watches silently as he presses his lips together and looks down at the papers on his desk. He stays silent for a moment before he looks back up at her, his eyes now glassy.

"I'm also... the little boy... The little boy you gave the fish to." His voice breaks. "I owe you my life." He sniffles. "And my mothers. And my brothers and my sisters. My entire city. We are all in debt to you, Katara."

Katara shakes her head. "No," She says quietly.

The man swallows hard and quickly attempts to regains his composure. "Oh, but we do!" He insists. "That fish that you gave me that day. It saved my mother that night. And in turn it saved me the next day, which on the next day saved my little brother, and the next my sister. My mother was able to provide for me, and I was able to provide for my younger brother, and he our sister. You healed my mother that night. The next day, you cleared our waters of pollution and rid us of that terrible factory." He turns and pulls an old painting of the fishing village from the bookshelf behind him.

He hands it over to her before he begins again. "We were able to start actually fishing again. We fed our own people and began to farm the fish. It reached a point to where we were able to export the fish and gain profit for the entire village. Within a year, we were one of the top suppliers to the Capitol of the Fire Nation. Within five, we reached the Earth Kingdom. Now some of our rare fish makes it to the finest dishes served in Ba Sing Se."

Katara smiles and nods. "I remember reading something about the village had grown." He smiles back at her before he notices the change in her expression. She didn't hold the smile long before her face fell. "I also remember reading something about your sister village. Jong Shoi?"

Hiko's expression saddens and he looks towards the papers on his desk again. "Yes," He says softly. "Jong Shoi was struck by an epidemic caused by the pollution in the waters. The clean waters didn't reach them in time..." He trails of and pulls another painted portrait from the bookshelf. It shows two young boys holding up fish they must have caught themselves. At the bottom, it's labeled ' 102AG. Takehiko 10. Kimihiro 6'.

"My younger brother had gone with the relief group," He takes the painting back and gently places it back in its place. He lets out a sigh before he turns back towards her. "They didn't make it."

Katara tilts her head to the side and leans in closer. "I'm sorry?" She asks.

He looks her in the eye. "The water was riddled with disease. The fish were toxic. The people were too ill. They didn't make it."

"Your brother?" Katara presses.

"The entire village."

Katara's heart drops like a stone and she shakes her head. The entire village? Was gone?

"Will you take me there?" She asks, her voice shaking.

"There's nothing to take you to."

Katara looks at him. They hold a strong stare for a moment. "I'm going there." Before he can say no, she is up and out of her seat. She begins to press the door open just as he reaches her.

"I'm going with you." He insists.

A few hours of trekking through dense, overgrown bushes along a once well beat down path, Katara and Hiko finally reach their destination. They're greeted with an old, broken, wooden sign that no longer has anything written on it that can be seen. It'd been worn down by the weather and overgrown with vines. Even from standing on the edge of the village, she can tell that this is case for the majority of everything else.

An eerie stillness rises in the air that keeps them both silent as they slowly and carefully make their way past old huts. The air is so still and so quiet, it's as if time has stopped. All Katara can hear is her ragged breath and her heart pounding in her ear.

The earth sloshes underneath their weight. Jong Shoi wasn't on the water like Jang Hui was, but was on the edge of a wide river that must often flood, because every hut by the shoreline has at least three foot of wooden posts holding it above ground level. It's still very similar to Jang Hui, or it had been, at one point.

All of the huts are small, both residential and commercial. They are all made of the same thick mangrove wood as Jang Hui's buildings once were. The roofs, or what's left of them, is made from straw. Some parts of the huts have rotted away, others have seemed to have crumbled under their own weight. Others are covered in vines and have trees sprouting from the windows or roof tops. There must have been a fire here at one point, because there a large field with scorched earth, only a few small trees have sprouted in the area. Katara can't help but pause at the sight of it. It seems like the fire had been controlled, it's nearly in a perfect rectangle. She tries not to stand in one spot too long, water is beginning to pool around her feet from the moist soil.

She follows Hiko further into the village, away from the river. "Do you think there's any hope for this place?"

"No." He says flatly. Even from a single word, she can hear the pain in his voice.

Katara wants to argue back, but she decides now is not the time.

She does make a point to try to list the things the village could potentially be good for. It's surrounded by trees, they could become a lumber exporter. It's right by the river, there must be fish and other water life they could farm. That's all she can think of, though.

As her mind wandered, she had becomeseparated from Hiko. At first, she's worried, but with how silent it is, all she would have to do is call for him if she needed him. She makes her way through an old, one room, hut that must have belonged to small family. There is an old table, a few chairs still around it. A dish is still on the table, covered in what looks to be fish bones and dust. In the corner, there is a pile of old blankets that are now torn to shreds and covered in some kind of animals fur. She walks past the door that could only lead to the bathroom, and heads out the back door. She notices a larger building not too far and decides to head to it.

Her shoes and the lower half of her pants are covered in mud. Beads of sweat roll down her forehead and the small baby hairs on her hairline stick to her face. The sun is reaching the lower half of the sky, it's nearly dusk now. She wonders how long they've been there. It seems like only a minute, but ten years at the same time.

Katara moves towards the back of the building. It looks to be like one of the only buildings made from a mix of wood, straw and clay, instead of just old wooden plants and straw grass. It must be important to have been made differently, or maybe it's just a little newer than all the other ones. She makes her way around, stomping down on the branches and small bushes that scratch against her legs.

She finds the small door and presses it open and immediately stops after only taking a single step into the building. It must have been the hospital. Her heart seems to stop, as she slowly gazes over all the cots, some still occupied by a body. She slowly creeps further into the large, single room. She can't seem to swallow and her eyes are beginning to gloss over. She passes cots that are empty, and some with bones.

She pauses at the sight of small skull, laying on one of the tiny pillows. A child's skull. She notices how badly she's shaking, as she reaches out to touch it. She yanks her hand back at the last second and pulls her hands up to her mouth, covering it. Tears are rolling down her cheeks now as she silently cries.

Sorrow and anger both well up inside her, as she continues on through the rows of cots. Had she just answered the scrolls, all of these people could have been saved. Had she just gone any way, despite what Aang had said or wanted. If she had just left him sooner!

She spots Hiko kneeled down at the side of the cots. Had he been in here the whole time? She slowly makes her way to him. She swallows hard and sits next to him silently. She notices a name etched into the wood of the cot. 'Hiro'.

"My brother," He breathes out, his cheeks streaked with tears. He has a hand over the bones of his brother's smaller fingers. "He was only twelve." He chokes out.

Katara closes her eyes and leans her head back as her own tears began to flow again. The aid group Hiko had spoken about must have been made up of people of all ages. Hiko himself would have been very young when he began to lead the people of his village, because now as mayor, he can't be out of his teen years. His brother had only been twelve when he left to go help all these people. The same age Aang had been when he set out to help the people of the world. Only Hiro didn't make it This child must have looked up to them, up to her. That's why he had set out on this mission, because he had seen what she had done. She is what brought him here, to his death bed. This was her fault.

She stands up abruptly and quickly makes it out of the building. She slams against the clay wall and slides down into the mud **,** water from the moist soil pooling around her feet almost instantly. She hunches over and sobs into her hands. As she cries, the water begins to freeze and ice over around her shoes. Why didn't she just answer the first scroll? Why hadn't she just gone, even if for a week? Just a few days was all she would have needed. With simple water bending, she could have emptied that hospital! Not a single bed would have had a body in it. The huts would be full of laughter, love, and life!

She wipes her cheeks with the back of her arm and tries not to choke on her own saliva as her breathing is so rough from her sobs. She leans back and rests her head against the wall as she looks up to the sky. It's still a bit light, but the moon has started to rise. She can see it peeking through the trees. All of those years she had gone against the one thing she lived by. She had said she would never turn her back on people who needed her. But she did.

Tears continue to roll down her face, only calmly and silently now. She remembers her whipping around and yelling in Sokka's face, 'No! I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!' She going down and fighting the Fire Nation soldiers. She remembers helping the entire village clean the waters. She remembers getting the scroll from a messenger hawk and reading it, wanting to go immediately after reading it. She remembers Aang nodding and saying they'll go, but only after he finishes this one report.

She tries to put all the blame on him, but she has to remind herself that she is her own person. She had left her own village against her grandmothers wishes, yet she stayed beside Aang? She had put him as her main priority, she felt like he was the one who needed her the most at that time. But she was wrong to put him above everyone else. She needed to do what she thought was important, too. She had turned her back on herself **,** and who she was as well. She had forgotten who she was, and had stopped putting up a fight when it came to Aang refusing to leave the Earth Kingdom.

She stops crying and her face gets serious as she furrows her brows. Never again will she remain silent. She will never ignore the pleas for help again. She must start here. She may not be able to bring Hiko's brother back, but she would bring new life here. She would rebuild this place from the ground up. Jang Hui and Shu Jing will have their sister village back one way or another. This wound of Jong Shoi is still open, and she would heal it if it killed her. She silently tells Yue to drown her in freezing waters if she doesn't.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	4. Chapter 4

**Finding Home**

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Both Katara and Hiko seemed to have slowly wandered towards each other, as they both now sit at the river's edge, subconsciously seeking the other for comfort. It's dark now, the moon blanketing them both in light, and little lightning bugs twinkle between the trees. Owl cats yowl back and forth to each other in the distance, and crickets chirp. The river rushes by gently, the sound soothing for the both of them. Between their occasional sniffle, these are the only sounds they hear in the still night.

Katara wonders how long they've been sitting there with their legs pulled up to their chests, arms drawing them in close. She wonders if people are looking for Hiko in the village. He is the mayor, after all. Neither of them has brought a torch or lantern with them, but with how bright the moon is tonight, they could still easily find that old, beaten down the path back to Jang Hui.

She keeps nodding off every now and then and she knows they should probably head back now, but she is in no rush, and he doesn't seem to be either. She figures he's too caught up in the thought of his brother to even move. With the way that they seem to be paralyzed in their sorrow, she wonders if this land had been cursed. Is this the feeling that overtook people, crippling them so much that they couldn't help themselves as they withered away? Had people's minds decayed, as the buildings had, by some unseen, dark force?

Jang Hui had once been cursed but by something physical, the factory that had polluted the waters. Katara knows it had also polluted these waters, but with how incredibly overbearing the sadness was, she wonders if this curse is something otherworldly. She wants to fall back into the mud and let sleep take her, but she remembers the strike of determination she had felt earlier. If this place was cursed, she would not let it get to her. She would not let that spark of hope be snuffed out.

She slowly stands and extends her hand out towards Hiko, silently offering to help him up. With the way, he slowly turns to look at her, and with how long he pauses, she thinks he's going to ignore her, and refuse her help. But he takes her hand and allows her to help him get to his feet. They still don't say anything to one another. They only nod and begin making their way back to Jang Hui.

In the morning, after a much-needed shower and change of clothes, Katara heads down to the City Hall in search for Hiko. She walks past the front desk, ignoring the receptionist that calls for her, as everyone would usually have to sign in before they were allowed into any of the offices. She struts through the hallways he had rushed her down before and slowly creeps her head into his office.

He's sitting at his desk, a piece of paper in either hand, his brows furrowed as he glances between them. She knocks on the wall, alerting him of her presence. Hiko slowly looks up towards her.

"Katara," He greets solemnly.

She smiles wide, attempting to lighten the tense mood. "We're going to go back to Jong Shoi," She informs him. He raises a brow. "We're going to find every resource we can use as an export, we're going to clear all of the brush and debris, and we're going to build a city."

Hiko presses his lips together, a look of slight annoyance on his face as he tilts his head to the side. "And just how do you propose we go about doing this?" His says harshly.

"With a relief group," His tensed face falls as he looks at her, wide-eyed with shock. Was she seriously proposing another relief group after all the others had failed? Has she forgotten about what happened after the final group didn't return? The depression the entire village fell into? His own, personal sorrow? He lets out a huff and shakes his head as he tosses the papers onto his desk. "We can do it if we do it together!" She argues against his silence. "Like we did when we were younger! Was Jang Hui not once hopeless?"

"We tried multiple relief groups, Katara," He growls out. "They didn't do too well, did they?" His words cut her, the snarky tone shocking her, and her heart drops. She can hear the pain in his voice. She doesn't mean to bring him anguish, and she pauses. A small voice in the back of her head tell her stop and to let it go, but another voice tells to never give up without a fight.

"This time will be different," She ensures him as she steps towards his desk. "I'm here this time, with another fish." She gently places her hand on his, giving it a small squeeze.

Hiko looks intensely into her eyes. She had given him a fish once before, which had given him the strength and hope to go on. This time the fish was just a metaphor, but she would make sure she delivered. He can see the sincerity and determination in her eyes. The same look Hiro had given him before he left with the final relief group. It was a look he couldn't say no to.

He signs and leans back in his chair. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just call a town meeting. I'll do the rest." She can't help but smile wide. Her heart flutters and happiness wells up in her chest. She hadn't felt this feeling in so long, she had nearly forgotten it. It felt so good, to be able to bring people hope where there was once despair.

Hiko stands and strides out of his office, hiding the distress he had just been in, with Katara following closely behind him. before they exit the building, he tells the receptionist to fetch his podium and gong. Katara and Hiko stand side by side in front of the large doors of the building as two men first bring out a wooden podium, which Hiko motions for Katara to stand behind. The two men then haul out the gong, which Hiko orders for them to sound.

The two men hit the instrument in intervals of three until a crowd has formed at the steps of the building. They are all looking around and muttering to one another, wondering why they have been called to the town square so suddenly. Then, Hiko raises a single hand, silencing them almost immediately. Katara looks over to him and he raises a brow at her.

'Go on,' He mouths.

Katara begins to get incredibly nervous. She hasn't done this in so long. She shakes a bit and she swallows hard, little beads of sweat forming at her hairline. Will these people even listen to her? Will they like what she has to say? Will they rally behind her and follow her, or scoff and turn away, as so many of the generals in the meetings she had been in with Aang had done? She lets out a sigh and speaks despite her anxieties.

"Hello, people of Jang Hui," She begins slowly, her voice shaking. She can hear a few people greet her back. "I am Katara, I've been here before." She pauses as people begin looking at one another as they ask each other hushed questions. She continues, speaking over their small chatter. "I helped your village a long time ago when its waters had been polluted. Back then, the buildings were nothing but small huts made of sticks and mud. It was when the people were starving and ill, caused by the waters that been polluted by a factory."

The crowd of people stop whispering between each other and now fixate on her, recalling reading old papers that told this story. "Isn't this the girl that dressed up as the Painted Lady?" She can hear someone ask.

At first, having everyone give her their attention makes her even more nervous, but then she is filled with a certain kind of joy. It's hope. She knows she can convince them to follow her.

"I helped you clear your waters and heal your loved ones. I helped saved your people from certain death..." She trails off for a moment, remembering how she had ignored Hiko's pleas for help. "I had been called to do the same for one of your sister villages, Jong Shoi. But I failed to answer those calls. I failed to return to the Fire Nation in time. I failed you, all of you,"

A stiff silence fills the air as people listen intensely. Would people get angry with her once they learn the truth about her? How their leader had sent multiple letters asking for help, only to have her ignore every one of them. Would they blame her for the demise of the village? For the death of their loved ones? Or would they accept her apology?

"And I am so, so incredibly sorry. I can't help but think, if only I had responded and returned when I had been called, Jong Shoi would be as developed as this town has. She can hear people begin to scoff at her. She can feel the tension begin to rise in the air, but she tries her best to ignore it, and she continues on.

Katara's voice no longer shakes and she speaks loudly, calling to the people as she stands up straight and proud. "I'll need benders and non-benders alike! If your home is here or if you're just visiting, please join this new relief group and help rebuild your sister village!" Her face falls a bit, at the sight of people shifting their weight, looking at her with unsure expressions. She can make out a few hushed questions.

"Why? But the village is in ruins?"

"Half my family died there."

"My sister went with the second relief group and never came back."

"Why?"

"No way am I going to that giant graveyard!"

"Why return?"

People say to one another.

"The place is surrounded by trees. We can start lumber yards, craftsmen can use the wood for their businesses, people can build new homes there. There's plenty of land to farm, as well as fish." She racks her brain for anything else she can add to entice people to move there. It seems to work a little bit, a few men and woman in formal clothing step closer to the building to be able to hear her better. Despite the business people listening in, she can tell the majority of people are uncertain.

"I can understand any hesitation. What happened there is devastating. People lost their homes, their loved ones. But we need to come together, and practice the act your Fire Lord as put in place. Do as your Fire Lord would want, and come together, reunite as a people and revive that old village. I know it will be hard to return there, the memories and grief will be crippling at first, but know and understand, that in our great sorrow, we learn what joy means!"

People fall completely silent again, unsure of what she means by this. "An entire village crumbled, an entire village worth of people had been lost to their illnesses. But there's potential there, there's still hope. The rivers have filled with fish. For your neighbors who had gone there for a new life after seeing Jang Hui's success, for your fathers and mothers who had gone there in an attempt to clear the waters, for your siblings who went there with the aid groups after people began to fall ill. Bring life to those empty fields, those empty houses." Katara pauses and looks over to Hiko, who stands there staring at her intensely, his arms crossed. "For your brother."

People stay silent as they watch their mayor. Hiko looks as though he's going to tell her off or storm off into the building. But he surprises all of them. "I'll go." He says.

People begin to chatter and a man makes his way the stairs of the City Hall. "Where do I sign up?" He asks, followed by a voice in the crowd.

"Yeah, where do we sign up?" The crowd clears paths as more and more people make their way to the front, volunteering to join the group.

Katara lets out a sigh of relief and looks over towards Hiko. He smiles and gives her a single nod of approval before he motions for the people to follow him to the building. There, he has people sign a form and he begins to organize them into groups, according to their bending status.

There are plenty of fire benders, a lot of earth benders, and surprisingly, even a few water benders. Upon arrival, fire benders were to clear out the overgrown grasses that have taken over the streets and buildings in the village, earth benders to demolish what's left of the huts and begin making new paths and the water benders are to help clear the bush out as well, and non-benders are told to help clear debris and put into piles for reuse or disposal.

The Fire bender group makes their way to their sister village, clearing the path of shrubbery with fire. Earth benders follow closely behind, hardening the ground, turning it into a stone roadway. As they get to where the entrance would be, they take down the old wooden sign and create an arch, with 'Jong Shoi' etched into the stone.

People slowly make their way in, taking their time to go through each hut with the intent to bring back anything that may belong the family members of the ones that once lived there. One of the empty carriages that had been brought by ostrich-horse is designated for these types of items.

At first, the people have a lot of energy and are making a lot of progress. But as they move a bit further into the old ruins, they begin finding items that once belonged to their loved ones. Old trinkets, scrolls and books that had been passed down through the generations, clothes. Bones.

At one house, a girl breaks down into sobs after finding a baby that could have only starved to death, because no traces of the parents are in the house, and the baby's skeleton is in the crib. The baby's parents must have been claimed by the epidemic during the last days of the village, which meant no one was left to come back for the baby. A small group of people leaves after this one discovery alone, while the others continue to press on.

The side of the village closest to the entrance looks to be in the worst condition. Apparently, from what she hears, the village had begun to fall into ruins long before the epidemic claimed the last person. The place had been abandoned in phases, each going deeper into the village. The last and final phase must have occurred earlier in the year, as Hiko had said before that Hiro had only been twelve at the time of his death. Instead of celebrating on his brothers birthday this year, he will be mourning. Katara tries to not think about this too much as she continues to make her way through the overgrowth.

The few other water benders that are with the group cut through vines and bush, as fire benders burn up the debris from the huts the earth benders are taking down. Progress is slowly but surely being made but there are still a few skeptics. Hiko is standing with a small group of what seem to be business people, as their attire is not fit for the hard labor taking place around them.

He explains that Katara had been right. The thick oaks, pines, and mangroves around would be great exports. There was enough forest between the two villages that large lumber yards could be created. Land could be cleared out to farmed, and the river was teeming with life. The new generations of fish and other water life would be free of any toxicity that the pollution would have brought.

People begin to place bids on the land, and some fire benders are taken aside to begin marking off properties. They mark off areas that are going to be used for the lumber yards, crop fields, new neighborhoods. A few earth benders are taken aside to raise barriers in the larger parts of the river, these would be the new fish farms.

Katara can't help but smile as sweat rolls down her forehead. She keeps busy by corralling the fish, cutting through thick overgrowth, healing small injuries and keeping people hydrated. There are at least a hundred people who had joined them, and as the sun reaches the middle of the sky, the majority of the village has been leveled to the ground.

Before people get too deep into the village, Katara calls for a break. She tells them to take it easy, and just focus on hauling away the debris. She takes this opportunity to find Hiko. She pulls him aside and walks with him.

"How are you feeling?" She asks.

"So incredibly hopeful, like when you had given me that fish." He breathes, letting a sigh of relief. "This is amazing. The people were so willing!" He motions behind them, towards the people who are making incredible progress in this small village. "We already have people planning their businesses, picking out where their new house is going to go, and discussing the potential politics of the new town."

Katara had been smiling as she spoke, but it vanishes when they come across the portion of burnt land she seen the day before. "What should we put there?" She asks. She knows that slash-and-burn cultivation is popular in the Fire Nation and she suspects that's what the land had once been used for. She thinks he's going to say it's good for farming, but he doesn't.

"Headstones." He says flatly.

She lets out a small gasp. So that's what it had been? A graveyard? Fire benders must have burnt the bodies in mass graves in an attempt to quickly get rid of the diseased bodies, so illness wouldn't spread.

She swallows hard before asking her next question. "What should we do about the hospital? The... bodies there?"

"I'll have them taken care of," Hiko answers quietly, as his gaze falls to the ground.

Katara doesn't press the subject further and she doesn't ask any more questions. They continue walking together in silence as they head back towards the outskirts of the village.

People have cleared out an incredible amount of old wood and straw, multiples piles burning in cleared areas. There are a couple groups of people discussing how the layout of the new town should go. They discuss what to do about how the river floods and they decide to have earth benders walk down the shoreline, lowering the river bed **.** to make it deeper and creating walls of stone along the sides. The earth benders take their time in making the floodwalls nice, creating a brick pattern on the walls. They leave a space running in the middle of the tops of the walls, where flowers can be planted later on. Posts are put incrementally down the edge, where lanterns will hang.

They only complete a small portion of the new waterways, as it's beginning to get late in the day. The people agree that they should do this along with the length of the river until it connects to Jang Hui. Not only will people be able to travel between the two towns by the roads, they will also have new waterways to utilize. It will take time, but the earth benders seem to be ready and willing for the work.

They continue marking out land, mapping out the roads, streets, and alleyways in a small portion of the town. They flatten land, where they intend to place building for business or houses.

Katara spots young couples in each other's arms, debating over where their new riverfront house will go, she spots young and old entrepreneurs alike, discussing where the best place for their new business should go. She can hear a few people talk about how now that they have the chance, they want to start their political career.

She walks down the new stone road and heads towards the welcoming sign. It's nearly dusk now and people are beginning to pass her as they head back towards Jang Hui. She stands still and looks towards Jong Shoi.

In just one day, at least one-third of the village had been leveled and cleared out. Some roads had been planned out, while others have already been put in place. Small signs are posted at the edges of property lines. They state the owner's name and if the plot of land will be residential or commercial. In just one day, a town had begun to form. If this could happen within twenty-four hours, what will this place be in a week from now? A month? A year? Katara can only hope that she will be here to see it this time.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	5. Chapter 5

**Finding Home**

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A few months have passed, and the air is starting to get cooler and crisper. The colors of the leaves are beginning to change, and sometimes there is frost on the grass early in the morning. People around the village are starting to wear clothes that cover more skin than usual, to help keep warm.

In Jong Shoi, there are now plenty of streets made from stone, little housing developments, and small business districts. In the first couple weeks, the development was incredibly fast, and Hiko ordered it to slow, to make sure the village didn't collapse under its own weight. At that time, there still weren't any political figures to ensure everything ran smoothly. Now there is a small Town Hall, where the leaders gather to hold their meetings and discuss how to go about the new problems that arise in developing a new town.

Not including the pollution and epidemic that took the previous village to the ground, the new Jong Shoi had run into some serious problems in the beginning. There had been flooding in areas they hadn't thought the rivers waters would rise that high, and the earth benders had to construct new waterways in order to control this.

Environmentalists and workers from the fisheries became worried and even agitated, thinking this could disrupt the wildlife in and around the rivers. So, even more thought and caution had been taken, and elaborate trenches were built in an attempt to mimic how the natural river had flown, while still taking into account the new buildings at the river's edge that could become subject to flooding. If they weren't built just right, the river bed would be too deep down for the fish's offspring to survive, but if it was too shallow, the waterways would fill over the edge and flood. By the time they figured it all out, Jong Shoi began to resemble the Northern Water Tribes capital, with the similar waterways for transportation in some areas of the village, where it was closer to the river, small bridges scattered around, crossing over the channels.

The flooding hadn't been the only obstacle they had to overcome. In the beginning, apprentices from the neighboring villages and towns bickered and argued over who would be at the top of the political ladders. The leaders and mayors had to hand pick people and even then, people weren't happy with the chain of command. But compromises were made and people moved along with their lives and focused on the development of the new town.

There is a man who is head of the small group of officers who patrol the streets and handle any crimes, a woman who controls the imports and exports, and other things related to the trade and income of the village. Another woman is in charge of the towns's development, both structural and cultural. She decides where which districts will be constructed, including areas designated for festivals and where the future galleries, museums, and parks will be. Katara had been offered the chair of Head of Health but she kindly declined, feeling that a life behind a desk was not what she currently wanted.

Katara was perfectly content living in her little abode by the river, free to decide when she left and returned, having no schedule. She would leave for a few days to a week at a time, traveling around the island, helping other little villages and cities where she could. Every time she came back to Jong Shoi, it had grown a little bit more.

Streets would stretch a little farther into where the old village had been, and new houses and buildings will have popped up. This once deserted village was becoming a bustling town. It as though every time she returned, she would have a new neighbor or two. There was a new influx of people coming in looking for work at one of the lumber yards, the fisheries, or even the Town Centre building. Young entrepreneurs would start their businesses here, young couples would start their families, inspiring politicians will begin their careers. Though in the beginning, it had seen its fair share of hardships, it has proven to be a great place for a new life.

Katara continued to stay active in Jong Shoi, alongside Hiko. She helped to convert the old hospital into a memorial building with him and the new townsfolk. That day had been a particularly hard one. On one of the walls on the inside of the building, they had earth benders etch the names of the people who had been taken by the epidemic. A lot of tears were shed, as people came forth and gave their loved one's names to be added to the wall. Hiko cried as the earth benders created a tomb over his brother's deathbed and wrote a small eulogy into the stone. Katara had slid away and cried behind the building where no one could see her, as tremendous pangs of sorrow and guilt came over her.

Katara felt responsible for every single one of those names that nearly covered the wall from top to bottom, for every tear that rolled down the cheeks of the villagers, and for every broken heart. In her eyes, she had blood on her hands. She couldn't help but feel guilty for what happened here, all of the sorrow, illness, and death. She felt as though this was something she was going to have to live with for the rest of her life. She would have to walk with the weight of the bodies on her shoulders until her own time came. This would be something that she would never be able to forgive herself for, until something happened that night that gave her a change of heart.

The night of the ceremony for the creation of the memorial building, people gathered around the river's edge and, in small boats, they lit small lanterns that would float up into the air once they were released. A small group of played soft, slow music on their instruments and people sang songs in memory of their loved ones. It lasted long into the night, and as the moon reached the middle of the sky, only a few people remained to witness what happened. Katara had been sitting at the river's edge, toying with a small bead of water when she began to hear small gasps from the people around her.

"Look!" She heard someone whisper behind her. She looked up to small orbs of light bouncing and dancing atop the water.

At first, she had thought they were the lightening bugs up close, but then she realized these were too large, and the colors were too bright and too different from the ones the bugs could produce.

"Spirits!" Someone softly gasped, as they held out their hand to one that approached them.

Katara stood and looked around. There were countless of them, appearing from thin air. They twirled and spun, sparked up their light and dimmed it down. Some were incredibly small, while others were quite large. They ranged from the size of a pea to the size of a coconut. She watched as some seem to be in search of something, or someone, going from person to person before returning to float over the river.

Some people had single orbs roaming around them, while others had a few gliding up their arms, swirling around their bodies, tickling them. As the spirits did this, people's tears and sorrow changed into laughter and joy. The feeling in the air had been sad and tense and now it was a happy and freeing feeling buzzing around them.

Katara watches in awe as a single, small orb around the size of an apple appears above the river, and slowly makes it's way towards Hiko. It's almost like everything is in slow motion, as he reaches out his hand, his fingertip gently touching the center of the orb as they make contact. The spirit slowly glides up his arm and nuzzles against the crook of his neck, tickling him.

Then, even though the orb is round and has no face, it seems to turn to look at her. She holds her breath as it approaches her. It stops and hovers a few feet away from her. It seems to hesitate, almost as if it's shy before it comes closer to her. She feels as though she's looking someone in the eyes as she watches it come up to her. It floats up to her face, and tickles her on the cheek, like small, little kisses. There's a blinding light, followed by what she can only describe as a feeling of incredible relief. She has never felt anything like this, and can only connect it to the feeling of being forgiven after doing something terrible.

She can't help but cry as she realizes these aren't just water spirits, these are the souls of the people who had once inhabited Jong Shoi. This small, but incredibly bright orb could only be Hiro. He had gone to his brother first and then came to her. This little spirit felt her grief and guilt and took it from her as he bathed in her light. She had not felt peace like this in a long time, and she didn't want him to go. But he left her and returned to dance above the water's surface with the rest of the spirits, before they seemed to dip below the water and disappear.

After that night, she no longer felt like an outsider in the villages. She didn't feel like she was treading in rough waters, trying to make up for what she had done, or didn't do. She finally felt like the people's smiles were genuine and not forced. Of course, they had always been true, but her mind had told her otherwise. Hiro had given her the forgiveness she needed, and the clarity of mind to understand that she didn't have to beat herself up anymore. She didn't owe anyone anything, and she could live her life as she pleased without any guilt.

She does one more thing before she slows down, though. There are a few waterbenders living in Jong Shoi, and she opens a small healing hut where she teaches them everything she knows. First, it's just waterbenders that attend, then herbalists come and share their knowledge as well. Before she knows it, she's running a small medical school.

When she had first set off alone, she had no idea that she would end up building her own house here in Jong Shoi. When the builders suggested it, she nearly declined, but Jong Shoi is a lovely little riverside village in the middle of a great forest. It was a beautiful place to have a house, and she felt that it really symbolized what she envisioned for this once hopeless, abandoned land. A cute little humble abode at the water's edge, ready to be lived in for years to come. Ready for someone's new beginning.

The house was quite small, one bedroom, one bath, but it was hers. All hers. She got to pick out the layout, the wood for the floors, the colors of the walls. She picked the furniture, the decor. She was reluctant to do all this at first because she figured she would be traveling all around, but she can't deny that having a place to return to at the end of every day is nice.

Katara sits down at her small little desk that sits facing a picture window, overlooking the large pond the river runs into and out of. After rummaging through some things, she found the final five scrolls she had yet to reply to in a box. She figured today would be the day she finally wrapped everything up and responded. She can't help but let out a big sigh of relief. Three of them were just from some of the generals and politicians she and Aang had dealt with. They just thanked her for her time and that was that.

The other two were from Sokka. She holds back tears as she looks at her brother's handwriting, reading his message in his voice. She thanks the spirits that his messages weren't about anything urgent. He just tells her about how their Gran Gran is still doing well and their father has decided to finally 'take a break'. And by 'take a break', he means, Hakoda works hard day in and day out building up their little village alongside his son. Sokka's final message is about how Suki as returned, and together they're going to travel around the Earth Kingdom to see where they can help. He says he misses her, and he hopes to hear from her soon.

She shakes her head. That was two years ago, now. She writes him a message that is nearly four scrolls worth before binding them together carefully and securing her seal on one of them. She gets up and makes her way to the post box, where a man will come in the morning to collect them and bring them to the Messenger Hawk Station . She makes her way back inside and goes to plop down onto her sofa, but as she does, she's greeted with a loud hiss. She shoots back up and twirls around to face a flying lemur, caressing and licking his tail, which she must have sat on.

"Oh, I'm sorry Momo! I didn't see you!" She reaches down and gently scratches him under the chin before she snatches her hand back, leaving him staring at her, a perplexed look on his face. "Wait. Momo!?"

She gasps and looks around the room. If Momo is here, Aang can't be far behind. She heart races and she begins to go around shutting her blinds and locking the doors frantically before she finally makes her way back to the lemur, who is now perched on the top of the sofa. She sits and places a hand over her heart while she tries to catch her breath.

"Momo, is he here?" She asks, only to be replied to with chatter in a language she doesn't speak. She lets out a huff as she realized what's just happened. The thought of Aang coming here gave her a severe anxiety attack, and she doesn't really understand why, and she honestly feels a little bit bad about it.

It wasn't like Aang had abused her in any kind of way. Sure, they had bickered, but it went both ways and it had never even come close to any kind of verbal abuse. He just wasn't the kind of person for physical abuse. She can't help but feel like there was any reason for her to have acted that way after seeing Momo.

She scratches him behind the ear and apologizes. "I'm sorry, Momo. I don't know what just happened..." She sighs and pets him down the back. "I love you, buddy. I love Aang, too. I'm okay. You guys don't have to worry about me." Momo purrs and sinks down from the top of the sofa to her lap, where he curls up into a ball.

Katara takes this time to think about how she feels. Her heart hadn't raced like that in a long time. She had even started to sweat and shake a little bit. Why? What sent her into that kind of state? She had been so scared, but for what? She thinks hard about the answer. She figures, she was scared she was going to lose her voice again. What she said and wanted wouldn't matter again. The house she built here wouldn't matter, the life she was living here wouldn't matter. She wouldn't seem to matter.

Aang had a way of making it nearly impossible for her to say no to him. He would shut her out and act unlike himself, like when they had lost Appa and had to go through the Serpents Pass. Or he would pester her until she agreed, or have a pity party. Sometimes he would even withhold information from her to get his way, like he did when she and Sokka had been reunited with Bato.

She didn't want to go back to that, and she was scared that if he was here, he would be able to convince her to go with him. Katara had worked too hard here to just leave. She had made friends here, built a house for herself, and even began to live a different life here. Sure, this wasn't with her best friends or family, this wasn't the Water Tribes. But, this was hers. This place had brought her a feeling of happiness she felt like she had nearly forgotten. This was a place that maybe one day, she would be able to call home.

The early mornings, late nights, long days in boring meetings she had no say in, she was done with that. She had no desire to go back to that at all. Going from town to town, establishing trade, creating political ladders, it just wasn't for her. Sure, she had done a little bit of that in helping Jong Shoi, but it had mostly been Hiko doing that sort of work. Hiko had asked a couple times if she wanted to join him at a meeting, but she politely declined and he understood.

It was simple. She could do as she pleased, which was helping people build things and settle into their new houses, healing any injuries that happened, fishing with the little kids, become part of people's lives, not their businesses. That's what she wanted, and that's what she has here. She wasn't ready to leave, and the thought of being pulled away scared her. Sure, she would travel a bit more one day, if she was called or if she felt like it was time. But right now, wasn't the time.

She gently picks Momo up and kisses him on the forehead before bundling him up in her arms. She gets up and makes her way to the front door, speaking to him as she opens it. "It was good to see you, Momo. Let him know I'm fine, but don't tell him where I am, okay? I love you both." She kisses him one more time before she places him on top of the post box. He makes a questioning purr sound and tilts his head to the side, staring at her. "You can go now." She smiles, he stays put. "Really? Really Momo?" He holds his stare and she lets out a huff. "Alright, hold on." She goes in and fetches him a small plum from a bowl on her counter. "Alright, here." Momo stuffs the fruit into his mouth and takes off with a chattering noise, which she can only take as a 'thank you' and a 'goodbye' wrapped into one.

She watches a bit as he disappears into the sky. It's getting late and the night has taken a chilly turn. She decided to go ahead and call it a night. In her bed, she toys with the fringe on the end of one of her pillows. Braiding some of the loose strands, looping some of the strings around her finger, tying knots only to untie and retie them over and over again. Maybe she went to bed too soon, because she just can't seem to fall asleep.

Katara can't get the thought of what happened out of her head. She can't believe that the thought of seeing Aang again gave her an anxiety attack, even if it was just a small one. She realizes in that instant that she must have been repressing a lot of feelings. The life he was living just wasn't for her at the moment, and she had tried so hard to live it with him. She had put herself on the back burner for so long. She had silenced herself, turned her back on herself.

Had he not seen the signs? Or had he ignored them? Did he like that she had become a shell of her former self? It had been eight years. Of course, she had only fallen into that deep depression during the last two or so, but some things must have been noticeable before that, right? Aang had never even brought up the word 'depression' until that day she left. Had he tried to act like that wasn't what was wrong?

These questions nag at her into the night as she tries to answer them, but they're not hers to answer. They're Aang's. Maybe she should write him, she wonders. She tosses and turns at the idea. No, she doesn't want to. But then she thinks that he deserves to have closure. But then she gets scared that he'll follow the messenger hawk to her, and she just doesn't want to see him right now. Maybe she should leave Jong Shoi for a little while. She argues with herself until sleep takes over.

The next day, she starts her day off by going to her Healing Center. She teaches a few lessons and sits through one taught by a herbalist. She knows about healing with water bending, and she's intrigued by what the plants can do. She listens carefully and takes multiples notes. Then, she goes on and meets the group of kids that play down the river. One of them is a little water bender, and Katara takes the time to teach her how to bend while the other kids fish. The little girl is a mix of the Swamp Tribe and Earth Kingdom, her family came to Fire Nation so her Earth Bending father could get a job building the railroads, and then they moved to Jong Shoi after the heard about it developing. They finish up with their water bending lesson and Katara heads back to the house a little early. She's supposed to be eating dinner with Hiko and his sister.

Katara makes a stew of fish and ocean kumquats, like the one her Gran Gran used to make, only with a bit of Fire Nation flare to it, the ocean kumquats taking place of the usual sea prunes. It's easy, fast, and tastes pretty good if Katara does say so herself. She is just getting it into the bowls when she hears knock at the door.

She's greeted by Hiko, while his sister stands a bit behind him.

"Evening, Katara." Hiko smiles as he makes his way into the front room.

"Hey, Kasumi!" Katara greets the young girl, bending down a bit to get face to face with her.

"Brought you a flower." She says shyly, as she continues to hide the flower behind her back.

"Aw, thank you!" Katara smiles and waits a bit until Kasumi finally reveals the small dandelion she brought. Katara pretends to sniff it and places it in one of her vases on the table in the foyer.

Hiko and Katara chat while Kasumi mainly toys with the table cloth. She's a tiny little thing,

she has trouble saying her 'r's correctly, and plus all this grown up talk is boring. She has to come with her brother, though, because their mother is back in Jang Hui.

Katara notices how silent she is and picks up a conversation with her. The three of them then talk about the new schools, new kids to play with, and all the things to do in the new town. Hiko asks if she's going to follow in his footsteps and become a mayor one day. The trio has a nice little dinner together, and it lasts a bit longer than they expected it would.

"Kasumi," Hiko coos, as he notices his little sister has nodded off, chin in her palm, elbow propped up on the table. "I think it's time for bed." He gets up and makes his way over to her.

This stirs her a bit and mumbles to him, her eyes still closed as she sways side to side a bit, still half asleep. "I don't wanna," She argues.

"You've got school tomorrow," He adds on, "You can't stay up much longer." He picks her up out of the chair and has her stand. "And I can't carry you," He adds quickly. "You're ten now."

She pouts and crosses her arms, but she slowly begins making her way towards the door. "One second, Katara," Hiko calls back to her, as he guides his sister to the foyer. Katara can't help but laugh a little at the two of them, and she waits while he helps his sister put a poncho on.

"Katara," Hiko says sternly, calling her to come to them. She makes her way over and tilts her head a bit at the sight of him staring hard out her door-side window.

"What is it?" She asks, trying to peek around him.

"A messenger hawk," He turns to look at her, a serious expression on his face. "An imperial messenger hawk, on your post."

Katara goes out to the post, with Hiko and Kasumi not far behind. Katara stands a few feet away from the bird. It's entirely black with some sort of gold paint on its feathers. In the pouch on its back is a scroll with gold rods. They're probably made from real gold, instead of painted, Katara thinks.

She hesitates and looks towards Hiko, who looks back at her. "It's probably for you." She says. He turns towards the bird and reaches his hand out, only be squawked, nipped, and hissed at.

"No, nope, I think it's for you!" He says as he yanks his hand away from the animal.

Katara slowly and gently reaches for the scroll, as the bird watches her carefully. She is able to pluck the scroll from its pack with the bird only making some kind of low growling kind of noise at her. She looks at the seal hanging from the scroll. On one side it's the Fire Nations emblem and on the other, it's a fancy 'Z' in a calligraphy type of writing.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" Hiko informs. "You should probably go read that now!" He nods over towards her house as he places a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I have to get her home, though. Fill me in tomorrow, yeah?" He presses Kasumi forwards and begins making his way home.

Katara sighs and looks down at the scroll in her hand, then up at the bird. It watches her intensely, so much so it gives her the creeps.

"I got it, you can go now." She says, shooing him off her post before she quickly goes into the house, closing the door tightly behind her. What could Zuko want? She wonders.

She doesn't even go to her little desk to read it, in fact, she doesn't even take another step into the room. She slowly pries it open there and reads it.

It's thankfully a simple, short letter. He explains that he's heard that she has returned to Fire Nation and has established an entire town in her time there. He thanks her and invites her to the Capitol, where she can be formally honored. She can't help but laugh at his signature. 'Your old friend, Fire Lord Zuko'. For whatever reason, she thinks it's goofy for him to sign it like that. It's like he was being casual at first and then someone reminded him that he was the Fire Lord and needed to formal in the end.

She lets out another sigh and makes her way to the sofa, where she sits with the scroll still in her hand. Part of her wants to stay silent and not respond, but another part of her wants to pack up and go now. Then she gets really nervous about seeing him again. It had been a long time, at least six or seven years since they had seen each other. How old was he now? Twenty-three? Twenty-four? Had he changed? Is he all serious, and 'Mr. Fire Lord' now? She looks back down at the scroll and reads part of it again. 'It'd be great to see you again'. No, if he had changed she's sure this letter would sound like more of the reports Aang had to write back and forth to the politicians.

Katara is conflicted. Even though she's going to visit, she doesn't want to leave Jong Shoi. This has become her safe place, and the thought of leaving it honestly scared her. Here she was on her own, free to determine what she did on daily basis. No schedule, no meetings, no time restraints. She was sure Zuko wasn't going to sign her up for things like that, he had no reason to, but just the thought of the change that she could fall into a life like that again made her hesitate. But it had been so long and she did want to see him again.

So, she heads into her room and packs a small bag. She decides she won't stay there long, so makes sure to pack light. While she's picking things out, she can't help but get a little giddy. One of the reasons he had left Aang is because they had stayed in one spot for so long, in that dingy little house she hated. Now she gets to go out and see new things again. She hadn't seen the Palace in years, or even the Capitol. She can't wait to see how it's changed. She can't wait to see Zuko, and how he's changed either.

She places her bag at the foot of her bed and settles down into the mattress as she looks out the window. A cool breeze flows through, and the moonlight is so soothing for her. She's still feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement, but she knows she'll be looked after on her trip. She smiles before falling asleep, she's happy to go see her old friend again.

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 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	6. Chapter 6

**Finding Home**

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Katara got up a little later in the day than she had wanted, but she doesn't move with haste as she gets out of bed. Zuko hadn't put a date on when she was to be honored in the Capitol, so she figured that if it took her a day or two to start heading that way, it would be okay.

She fixed her hair, pinning the stray stands back with little pins. She examines her hair in the mirror, realizing that the braid and bun have started to get really loose. She should probably go get it redone before she went to meet the Fire Lord. Would Zuko even care? She wonders. Would she even care if Zuko cared? She chuckles at herself. What he thinks shouldn't matter to her, as his opinion had never really been relevant to her life, but she did want to look at least somewhat presentable, especially in front of a lot of people.

After messing with her hair for a bit, she takes her time and makes herself a small bowl of soup for breakfast, even though it's around noon. As she eats, she realizes that if she's going to be honored by the Fire Lord himself, she should probably go get a new dress. A few new outfits to wear in the Capitol would be nice, and it's starting to get colder by the day, so she should probably start dressing a bit warmer, too.

The waterbender lets out a deep sigh as she massages her forehead. The thought of the trip is starting to give her a bit of anxiety and stress, as she begins to nervous, wondering how it's all going to go. She makes up a new list in her head in an attempt to keep organized and help keep herself calm. Fill Hiko in on what the scroll said, fix hair, new clothes, find a way to the Capitol.

"Better start on it now," She mumbles to herself as she gets up and takes her bowl to the sink, quickly washing it with some waterbending. "Let's get this over with."

Katara honestly feels a bit bad for dreading her trip to the Capitol, but the last time she was in a setting where she was around so many important people all the time, she had been silenced and ignored the majority of the time. Now, after having so many people doubt her, she had begun to doubt herself. Was she even worthy to be in their presence? Her, a lowly waterbender peasant from the run-down Southern Water Tribe, who was still mainly known only as 'The Avatars Girlfriend'?

It will be good to see Zuko again, she figures. And she hopes. She can't help but wonder about how filling the role of Fire Lord may have changed him over these years. He had been crowned so young, too. If she recalls correctly, he had been the same age as Hiko is now when he took the throne. Hiko was a mayor, incredibly young, but still so sweet and humble. Sure, Hiko had a bit of an edge to him, that made him a little harsh, and at times even intimidating, but when she thinks about it, this is another similarity between the two.

Hiko was able to keep that side of him at bay, but was Zuko? Had the stress of everything made him even rougher around the edges? Had it hardened him, and made him unreadable, unapproachable, even? From the scroll that he had sent, he seemed to be about the same. Maybe just more refined, but he probably had to be more formal while in office. But, maybe someone had written it for him, and they made sure to write it in a way that kept the tone modest and welcoming, whilst keeping it formal as well.

She wasn't sure, and she tried to stop putting so much thought into it while she went on her trip back to Jang Hui. There is now an ostrich-horse carriage system that travels the length of the road between the two towns. Usually, she would have just walked, but she was still just too tired. Even after all this time of rest, there was still an underlying feeling of exhaustion that no amount of sleep could cure. She couldn't deny that she was immensely happier here, but this depression just continued to stick with her.

It definitely wasn't as crippling as before. She woke up earlier most days, visited Hiko a lot, taught at her healing center, waterbended down by the river while the local kids fished and played. She smiled and laughed a lot more now. But sometimes she still felt no need or desire to get out of bed, or eat, or speak. Sometimes her anxiety would kick in while she was in the middle of town square, and she just wanted to go invisible. She didn't want to speak to anyone or be spoken to. Sometimes, she still she didn't even want to be, to exist.

Katara presses these thoughts out her mind, quickly wiping away a single tear that had begun to well up in her eye as she hops out of the carriage. She makes her way to the City Hall, where she is greeted by the receptionist, who does a sweeping motion with her hand, silently telling Katara to go on in, that Hiko is free at this time. Sometimes he's in a meeting with someone or not in at all, that's when the lady at the front desk will hold up her hand and shake her head, silently letting Katara know to wait or to come in at a different time.

Katara makes her way down the corridors and knocks gently on the door to Hiko's office before she gently presses it open. Before she can even peep her head in, he greets her by name.

"How did you know?" She asks as she takes a seat in the large chair placed before his desk.

"I know your knock by now." He smiles at her. "So, what did that scroll say?" He asks, leaning back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head.

Katara squirms a bit in her chair, as starts to get nervous, thinking about her upcoming trip. "Zuko has invited me to the Capitol to be honored for the things I've been doing here in the Fire Nation."

"Wow! That's great! How did he hear about it?" He asks, in a tone that's a little funny. Katara lifts her brow a little bit, as she feels like he's hiding something.

"I'm not sure. I guess word has spread around quickly. It did that when I helped clean the waters here, didn't it?"

"Yeah, word travels fast here in the Fire Nation." He agrees with a nod. "So, are you going to go?"

Katara lets out a small huff as she looks down at the floor. "I'm not sure... I mean, I packed and everything, but... when I think about it, I- I mean, I don't know..." She trails off as she begins to stumble over her words. She wants to leave and go back home, but she also doesn't want to be rude to Hiko for no good reason. He's become a good friend of hers, and maybe he can help her figure out what to do, despite her anxieties.

Hiko tilts his head to the side a bit at the sight of her getting so nervous all of a sudden. He had seen her do this a few times, mainly around the politicians in Jong Shoi. It worried him, to see someone as headstrong, intelligent, and respected as Katara doubt themselves so much. She shouldn't be scared to go see an old friend again even if he was the Fire Lord now.

"Why are you so scared?" He asks softly, genuinely concerned for her. He leans in closer to her, placing his forearms on his desk as he laces his fingers together.

Katara hugs herself and continues to look away from him. "I don't know," She sighs out.

"You must," He insists.

Katara makes a face as if thinking about the answer pains her, and she begins tapping her foot anxiously. "I don't know," She whines out, as she beings to break down a bit, her lip quivering as she holds back tears. "I don't know what he's like anymore, and I'm sure I've changed, too. There's probably going to be a lot of people, and.. I ..."

"You can tell me." He assures her gently.

"What if I want to go home as soon as I get there? What if people are still really prejudiced against other benders in the Capitol? What if they don't want to honor a waterbender like me? And, I feel so silly! He's the Fire Lord now, he's done so much and even after all these years, I've done nothing! I have nothing to be honored for! I'm not important, I'm nobody!"

Hiko's jaw drops at her words. He seriously wonders if someone had brainwashed her or something. Part of him wants to call for a search party and have who ever made her think the things about herself arrested.

"Katara," He breathes out as he extended his arm out to her, even though she's too far away to take his hand. "You are... you are one of the most selfless, compassionate, hardworking people I know. You saved Jang Hui from imminent death, and then you went on to bring Jong Shoi back from the dead! That's just here in the Fire Nation, and that's not even it! Your actions have a domino effect, and what about everything you've done in the Earth Kingdom?"

Hiko stands and makes his way over to her as he starts to become more animated and emotional about what he's saying. "Katara," He says sternly, as he leans down to look her in the eye. Now that he can see her full face, he can see that she's been silently crying. "I don't know who told you those things, but let me tell you right now, they are lies." He stares at her intensely as he shakes his head. "They have lied to you. Listen to me when I tell you that you are a blessing upon the earth. Believe me."

She swallows hard and adverts her eyes away from his. She hugs herself a little harder and is a bit surprised when Hiko kneels down and wraps his arms around her. She's not sure if he's a fire bender or not, but he does have a comforting warmth about him, and she gently rests her cheek on his shoulder, returning his kind gesture.

He pulls away from her and looks her in the eye again. "The Painted Lady doesn't thank just anybody, does she?" Katara slowly shakes her head. "You have done a great deal of good things for a spirit to face you like that, don't you?" Katara smiles and nods. "You've done good all over the world. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise, okay?"

"Okay," Katara sniffles a bit and gently wipes her tears away. "Thank you."

Hiko stands and shakes his head as he makes his way back over to his chair. "You don't have to thank me, Katara." Hiko claps his hands together and smiles in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Now! Now that you're going to the Capitol, how are you going to get there?"

Katara eases down in her chair and laughs lightly at him. She wants to argue back and remind him that she had never said that she was going to go to the Capitol, but she decides to play along with him. "I'm not sure." She admits with a shrug of her shoulders.

"He never said when a chauffeur would come to get you?"

Katara shakes her head. "He's probably waiting for a reply."

"Let's send one, then!" Before Katara can even open her mouth to decline, Hiko is pulling out a scroll from one of his drawers and rolling it out onto his desk, ink and quill by his hand. He begins writing a message and she stands to lean over his desk and read it.

She tilts her head to the side as he competes for his simple, short message, that seems more for her than it does the Fire Lord. 'Go look outside' It reads.

"What does that mean?" Katara asks, looking up to meet his gaze.

Hiko does a sly sort of smile that at first, he tries to hide, the corners of his lips twitching a bit until he couldn't hold it back any longer.

"I told Zuko about you being here. That's how he heard about it so quickly." She furrows her brows at him, curious as to why he would do this, and how does he even know Zuko? "I feel like you're going through something right now, and I feel like you need to see your old friends again. I don't have access to your brother or that earth bending girl you used to travel with, but I do know Zuko, he visited here, asking about you. I know your friends probably haven't heard from you in a long time, and they're probably worried about you, even if they won't say it. You know, family is funny like that sometimes? But, I didn't expect him to call you to the Capitol to be honored and all that, I just wanted you two to get in touch. But I think you need this trip, Katara." He pauses and leans in a bit closer to her. "Don't get stuck in another rut." He whispers.

Her shoulders drop and she lets out a small sigh. Is that what he saw? Could Hiko see her depression creeping up on her? He could tell that she was still missing something? She knew and she felt that what she did in Jong Shoi helped her a lot, and her having her own place and own routine eased a lot of her anxieties, but at the same time, she had seemed to settle for something less than what she had first sought for.

Katara had been letting her own worries and own self-doubt hold her back this time. Instead of going from village to village helping where she could, she stopped in Jong Shoi, too afraid to continue on. She had found and created and new safe place that she stayed in, but that's what she had wanted to get away from. It had been one of the reasons she had left in the first place. Now she remembers that she also wanted to travel more. She wanted to go see her brother and Toph, and of course Zuko. Now here was her chance, was she really about to ignore it?

Katara smiles and turns to make her way out the door. "Hey, wait for me!" She hears Hiko call after her. She can't help but laugh at him as she begins to trot through the hallways, suddenly excited to see what was waiting for her outside. She glances over towards the front desk, surprised to not see the receptionist sitting there. Katara presses the front doors of the City Hall open and is confused even more by the sight of a small group of people crowded in a small circle. Some are talking to another and glancing between the person next to them and up to the sky, then motioning towards the sky and then towards the center of the group.

She makes her way down the steps and looks up, only to see an airship hovering over the buildings. She doesn't even have to push through anyone, as people begin to clear a way through the crowd for her. Two men, she doesn't recognize stand near the ladder that has been dropped down from the airship.

Katara steps into the center and the two men bow at her. She stands still, unsure of what to do until Hiko lands a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope this is okay, they showed up really fast."

An anxious feeling begins to well up in Katara's stomach. She tries to remain calm, but a sense of panic is setting in. She still had her list she needed to complete. She had told Hiko about what the scroll said, okay good, check, but she still needed to fix her hair and get new clothes. She had wanted to do this before she went to the Capitol before she saw Zuko. Would this be okay? Is this okay? Does she look okay? Is this presentable?

She starts to freak out a little bit and she shakes her head as she presses Hiko away from her. He sees the expression on her face and catches her before she runs off.

"What do you need?" He asks.

"My- I, I need - my hair! My hair is a mess! And I need new clothes, I want new clothes." She looks around at the people who are looking at her, and she begins to get even more nervous. "My bag!" She exclaims. She had left her bag at her house back in Jong Shoi. She really hadn't planned on leaving today!

Hiko shakes his head pulls her close. "Don't worry about it Katara. We can hold them for a day if you need it. Or they can do your hair and dress you up in the airship, you can have people fetch your bag." He whispers softly into her ear, trying his best to calm her down.

Katara lets out a huff and shakes her head. She knows that she needs to leave today, or she may not ever go. "Do I have to go right now? I'll leave tonight, just let me do those things on my own. Just have them go get my bag for me."

Hiko nods and smiles. "Of course," Hiko calls towards the two men before he trots over to them, motioning for them to come close to him. He places a hand on either of their shoulders and while Katara can't make out what he's saying, she can see him speaking to them. The two men nod simultaneously give him a small bow before they take their turns going up the ladder to the airship.

Hiko makes his way back over to her and gently rests his hand on her shoulder. "Take all the time you need. Just come back here when you're ready."

Katara nods and smiles. "Okay, thank you." She lets out a sigh of relief and begins to turn away from him to start on completing her list.

"Oh, and Katara!" He calls after her, she looks towards him over her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He laughs softly, feeling bad for springing this all on her so quickly. Maybe this was payback for her springing the whole 'we're going to Jong Shoi!' stuff on him.

She shakes her head. "Don't worry about it!"

Katara takes her time while at the salon. After a wash and dry, the hairdresser gives her the same style per request, and while she's there she even gets a manicure. It's not something she would usually do because it would normally go to waste, with her always working with her hands and her nails always getting incredibly dirty and chipped, but it's a nice little something that she doesn't usually do for herself. They don't put her any paint on her nails or anything, they just trim and buff her nails in a nice almond shape before they moisturize and massage her hands with some sort of fancy lotion.

After taking around an hour or so at the salon, she is feeling incredibly relaxed and a lot better about the situation. She took the time to think about it, and it was exciting to get to explore the Capitol and to see the Palace under a new rule. She didn't have to stay there long, she was sure Zuko could gather people and do a quick speech and within a day she could be gone, if she wanted. She tried to not think about that scenario too much, though, as she really wanted to have an enjoyable time in the capitol there and have a good time. There was a time when commoners weren't even allowed into the City without an invite from the Fire Lord, so for someone to be from an entirely different Nation to be invited, that was an honor on its own.

She goes back to the boutique she had stumbled upon before, but this time she looks for fancier clothing and tries to pick outfits that contain more classic Fire Nation colors. She chooses a few simple items that she can easily mix and match and then she decides to move on and look for some sort of dress she can wear for whatever event Zuko has planned. She has no idea if it's going to be in a room in front of a bunch of generals or outside with a whole bunch of people. The dress shouldn't be too extravagant, but it also shouldn't be too ordinary, she figures.

It doesn't take long before a beautiful red dress catches her eye. Ty Lat appears at her side as she lets out an 'ooo' at the sight of it.

"That one is very beautiful, isn't it?" Ty Lat asks. Katara nods and stretches out the bottom part of the dress and lets it go, watching it as it gently falls back into place. "Perfect for a lovely night out dancing!" Ty Lat laughs and twirls around, pretending to be dancing with someone.

The dress is a deep red color and it's made out a material Katara has never really taken the time to look at before. Most of the clothing here in the Fire Nation is made out a light, cotton-like, material, silk, or something called rayon. This dress is different, though. She figures that now will all the Nations mixing, new sorts of materials are becoming widespread, and easier for designers to get a hold of for their own creations. This material seems like it was made specifically for the Fire Nation, as it's lightweight and sheer.

The top three-fourths of the dress are made from silk, it can't be through, but the bottom quarter of the dress has layers of this material Ty Lat calls chiffon. It has a golden belt and the chiffon has matching trim on the bottom of each of its layers. With its length, it will just barely graze the top of her feet, and the top is a sort of V-neck tank top. Katara can just imagine how beautiful this would look, flowing behind her as she walked. The dress was plain enough that it wouldn't demand too much attention, but it was lovely enough that it would catch people's eye in the right way.

Ty Lat and Katara both agree that this is a perfect dress. While it was starting to get bit a cold during the nights, all Katara would need is a light pull over and she would be fine. Ty Lat grabs a simple black one and adds that to Katara's bags. They wish each other a good night and Katara decides that all she needs to do now is get a small case for her new clothes, and then she'll head back to the City Hall to board the airship.

She picks a small case that easily holds the few new clothing items she picked out while having a good bit of room left over. Maybe she'll combine her bag with this one once she gets on the airship. Or maybe she'll get some new things from the Capitol. Some nice souvenirs to place around the house would be nice. She just wants to remember to keep things light, she doesn't want to return with a hoard of things.

The sun is beginning to set, as she is just returning to the City Hall. The aircraft still hovers above the buildings, little lanterns starting to emit a small amount of light from the windows of the ship. Katara paces herself as she makes her way up the stairs. She starting to get a bit nervous again, but she tries to remember what Hiko had said. She's going to see an old friend, and odds are, she'll have a good time being in a new place for a little while. It won't be long, maybe just a few days. Even then, she can go home anytime she wants to. She has no obligation to stay.

Hiko is standing in the front room of the building, chatting with a few guards from the airship. They pause their conversation as they see her approaching and she wonders if they had been speaking about her.

"I think I'm ready." She says.

"Great!" Hiko steps towards her and places a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to have a great time there, Katara. Don't worry about it!" He smiles.

Katara returns the smile and gives him a small nod. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

They take each other into an embrace as they say their farewells. "Please do have fun, Katara," Hiko says. "We'll miss you here, but don't worry, okay?" He asks as he pulls away to look her in the eye.

"I'll miss you, too." She gives him a reassuring smile before she turns towards the guards. "Okay! Lead the way."

The give a small bow and turn on their heels, making their way towards the large doors. Katara follows sheepishly, and she looks over her shoulder towards Hiko. He smiles and waves, giving her a silent goodbye. She lets out a huff before she looks ahead of her again, towards the two guards in front of her.

One guard goes off the ladder, then she is followed by the other. The inside of the Air Ship is breathtaking. It's not like the ones that had been used in the war. This one is like a house, you could literally live in it. The floors are a shiny hardwood, the walls are actual walls with paint and pictures and other decor. There is a small sitting space with a couch and a loveseat, a coffee table, and an area rug. The colors of the room are white, gold, and a cream color. It's like nothing she's ever seen before. This room alone is probably worth more in gold pieces than her entire house and everything in it.

"Would you allow me to show you to your room, Master Katara?" One of the guards asks, her voice is young and sweet.

Katara turns and looks at her, abruptly taken out of her awe. "Oh! Um, yes of course. That would be nice... also, just Katara is fine."

The guard does a single, small bow before leading Katara through the corridors. They're quite small and tight on space, the walkways must have been comprised to be able to accommodate the large rooms. The walls are probably brought in a bit to hide the machinery, too.

The bedroom is just as breathtaking as the front room. With the same color scheme, every piece of furniture looks so incredibly luxurious. She is defiantly a simple person, she's not very materialistic and she likes the look of old things, but this is something she could get used to.

The bag she had left at her house is placed on the bed, and she makes her way over to it, running her hand along the silk, cream colored, comforter as she does. The way the bed is made up with the sheets and covers, plenty of pillows neatly arranged at the headboard, she wants to hop in and go straight to sleep. It's not too early, is it? She wonders.

"Dinner should be ready shortly. I'll return then to escort you to the dining hall." The guard states this and waits for Katara's approval, which is given with a small nod.

Katara lets out a small sigh as she places her bag onto the floor, sitting in the place it had taken up on the bed. At first, she didn't want to lay down, but this mattress must have been made by the spirits themselves, it was so soft and inviting. She lays back and allows herself to sink into a bit. She doesn't know what kind of material it's made out of, but she likes it.

As she looks up, she notices that even the ceilings are decorated. There are different white panels and gold painted moldings that create elegant shapes, bringing depth to the usually flat surface. If this sort of care and time has been taken into designing just an airship, she can't imagine what the Palace must be like.

She wonders if Zuko has done any renovations. Was this his aesthetic? Nice, calm, inviting colors. The lovely cream color against the white with the gold trimmings. This would make the Palace welcoming, in place of the old, dark colors on the floors and walls. She remembers the blacks, deep reds and golds that had been in each room she had been in while she was at the Palace. Granted, she hadn't frequented the Palace or had even gone into the bulk of it during her few and far between visits, but from she had seen, there was always a sort of intimidation factor each room had about it.

It takes a lot of fight to not fall asleep, but before she knows it the guard as returned to take her to dinner. Of course, the dining room is as extravagant as the rest of the ship so far. With white tile flooring and a marble top table. The chairs are painted white, with ornate designs cut into the wood. The tableware is white porcelain, gold filigree designs painted on the dishes.

She eats her meal in silence. It's some kind of poultry, with an assortment of vegetables placed over rice. It's a nice dinner, but she begins to feel a bit lonely. Of course, she had eaten meals alone at her house back in Jong Shoi, but she could have always visited Hiko if she had wanted. Here, there was no one she knew. The trip on the airship won't be long, in fact, this may be her only meal, but she wonders if eating alone, completely alone, is something she'll have to deal with quite a bit while in the Capitol. Would she eat with Zuko? Or would he be too busy? Would she meet people she got along with well enough to go eat with? In this moment, she decides to keep the trip as short as she can. Just go in, and get out as soon as she can.

She wipes her mouth with one of the cloth napkins and gets up. She hesitates, unsure of what to do about the mess. Before she can even turn to ask someone, a servant appears and asks her if she's completed her meal for the night.

"Yes, thank you." Katara gives the young man a small bow before she begins making her way back to the room.

There, she changes into a night slip and settles down into bed. She tries to just focus on getting to sleep, instead of what tomorrow may bring. Luckily for her, she falls asleep before her worries gain control of her mind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	7. Chapter 7

**Finding Home**

* * *

The airship glides through the clouds and over the fields and houses as they continue making their way towards the Capitol. Katara had been told by one of the guards that it shouldn't be too much longer at all. The Captain had decided to keep the pace slow and steady. Apparently, he wanted this trip to be nice and soothing for her, as he had heard about her anxiety. He wanted her to be able to take in the view from above.

It was amazing, see the Fire Nations landscape from so high. She had traveled over it before, on Appa, but this time it felt different, because this time was different. She really could enjoy it this time. The mountain ranges were breath taking, they were covered in a thick layer of green grass, dotted with large patches of wildflowers. The ranges breakdown and part, opening into pockets of meadows that were spotted beside lakes. Little villages settled at the mountain edges, while towns and cities gathered in the wide, open, plains. There were countless waterfalls, cliff faces, rivers, and canyons. The Fire Nation truly had a gorgeous landscape.

Most of the trip had been over the sea, and they had just reached the far Western edge of the panhandle where Ember Island was, and they had passed over the Gates of Azulon. At first sight of the daunting statues, her heart skips a beat. Even after all these years, she still sort of felt like she was crossing over into enemy borders when coming over the Gates. Then she remembers who the Fire Lord is now, and she wonders if they're even still named after Azulon. Now all that's left is the bay, then they will travel over the Plaza and Harbor City, and then finally over Caldera, to settle down into the crater, where the Palace is.

This is when she starts to get nervous again. Before she knows it, Katara finds herself in one of the powder rooms knit-picking at herself. She had just gotten her hair done the previous day, but after sleeping it in, there are already a couple baby hairs that have come loose. She tries to find some kind of way to slick them back, but theres nothing in a any of the cupboards or cabinets.

She lets out a huff. Why does it even matter? Why does she care so much? When she thinks about it, it must be because she has gotten so used to going to those meetings with Aang. Where the towns most respected and noble icons would attend. Katara knew the women would silently pick her apart, gossiping about her posture, her manners, her looks. She could tell by the way the looked her up and down, and almost always kept away from her. She didn't want that sort of thing to repeat here.

It shouldn't matter if she was from the Water Tribes or not, it shouldn't matter if she wore the finest materials, the latest trends, the most expensive jewelry. But if people had been like that in the lower regions of the Earth Kingdom, how would they be in the Capitol of the Fire Nation? Where the Nations most highly respected military personnel lived, the Noblemen, Elites. The Royal Family themselves called this place home.

You could assume that because she was an honored guest of the Fire Lord, people would instantly give her respect and dote on her, but if it hadn't mattered when she was the Avatars Gilfriend, it wouldn't matter if she was visiting Zuko or not. She knew people would still gawk at her dark skin, point out her frizzy hair, turn their nose up at her when she wore Water Tribe attire. It was something that she was just going to have to try her best to ignore.

It won't be a long stay in the Capitol, she reminds herself. Then, she can go back to Jong Shoi, where people have already begun mix, where she was welcomed as she was. She'll get back to her friend Hiko, the kids who play at the riverside, the little waterbender she's been mentoring, her Healing Hut. She'll get to go back to her usual routine and to her own house. She tells herself these things repeatedly, as she sits in one of the window seats, grasping at the pillows at her side, in attempt to ease the butterflies rising up in her stomach.

They have now made it over the Royal Plaza as well as Harbor City, and her heart skips a beat as she can finally see what Royal Caldera City has become, as the airshipp glides over one of the peaks at the mouth of the dormant volcano. The estates here have seemed to double in size, despite the cramped space of the crater. They are built up even higher now, and are surrounded by beautiful gardens. Some with water features, other with little mazes made from shrubbery. The streets look like they are paved from some kind of marble, and Katara honestly wouldn't be surprised if they were. All of the houses look they have just gotten a fresh coat a paint, as none of them look over a year old. They are pristine, and the light bounces off their white exteriors and the red clay shingle roofs.

The Palace is as large and grandiose as before, only now it doesn't look as dreary, dark, or eerily intimidating as the last time she had seen it. It has been painted a lighter brown and features a lot more white accents that complement the old gold ones. In place of the old bedrock that used to surround the building, there is now an actual grass lawn. It's very well kept, and there are now a few trees, flowering bushes, and flower beds along the edges of the Palace.

She can't seem to keep her eyes off the Palace until she realizes that they have passed it a bit. There was plenty of room for the Air Ship to land at the base of the building, in front of the large doors, but they are now a little ways away from the Palace, at it's side. An extension has been made, a small Air Port, with large hangars for other airships.

Guards approach her as the airship begins to descend, just stopping to hover a few feet over the ground. She watches as men working on some kind of motorized machines come up to the sides of ship and begin to press it back into one of the empty hangars. She looks out the window and can see another white and gold Air Ship parked in the next garage. She hadn't realized it before, but she must be in one of Zuko's private ships. She figures it's one of the reasons it's so incredibly different from the ones that had been used in the war on both the outside and inside.

The hatch opens, and another set of guards are bringing up a small set of rolling stairs to the door of the Air Ship. Katara is guided down the stairs by two guards, one in front of her and the other behind her. She follows the first guard out of the hangar and onto a path that runs up to a side entrance to the Palace.

There is a large, stone wall that separates the Air Field from the Palace lawn, and when they pass through the gate they have to be checked. The man at the guard post stops the first guard.

"Air Ship Druk Two was scheduled to arrive nearly eighteen hours ago. State the reasoning for the delay." He demands.

"Orders from Master Katara to the Helmsman." The first guard informs, a hint of annoyance underlying her collected voice.

The post guards eyes dart between the guard and Katara, before he focuses back towards the first guard. "Insufficient information. State your name."

The first guard rolls her eyes and lets out a huff. "Piss off, Jiro!"

"I will ring this bell!" The post guard warns, as he begins to reach for a bell connected to some sort of pulley system that must run along the wall and into the other posts, alerting the other guards. "Prove you're not imposters! Answer my security question at once! Where is the tip of the tail?"

"Alkaid!" Jiro flinches back at the way the guard snaps at him, and he glares at her as he slowly pulls a lever at his side, opening the gates before them.

The first guard grumbles to herself as she motions for them to follow her again. Katara glances over her shoulder as the guard behind her lets out a laugh.

"Some people take their job so seriously!" He motions back towards the post.

"We're not even on high security!" The first guard adds. "He is so annoying! Every time! It's always us, just let us through!"

Katara can't help but let out a small laugh as she shakes her head. After always being chased by Fire Nation guards in dark, intimidating armour, their faces hidden with masks and large helmets, she saw them more as some sort of humanoid creature always out to get her. But here, seeing the exchange between the two guards and hearing their banter, she's reminded that they're, indeed, human.

They continue to guide her into the courtyard and up the few steps to the landing and finally to the two large doors. It's here where she begins to get a bit nervous again, or maybe a bit exited. A mixture of both, she figures, as the first guard knocks a few times on the door. It opens slowly from the inside, by yet another guard. The two pause for a second before the both give each other a small bow followed by a quick greeting. The guard who opened the door continues to bow as he steps aside and motions towards the foyer.

There are three people standing a little bit farther into the large entry way. Two men and a woman, who at first Katara figures are just Palace workers, but then she catches sight of the scar on the left side of one of the mens face. It's Zuko! She hadn't recognized him, he's taller, broader, and his hair is now at his shoulders, the top half pulled into a small bun, which she now realizes has the crown propped up into it. He must have caught glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, because he turns to face her.

"Katara!" He greets, extending an arm out to her.

"Zuko!" She takes him into a small hug before pulling back a bit. "It's good to see you!" She smiles up at him, getting a good look at his face. He is clean shaven, and his jawline has become sharper and stronger as he's grown into a handsome young man.

"It's good to see you as well, Katara." He smiles back at her and they completely pull apart. Zuko motions towards the two at his side. "This is Kaine, the Grand General of my armies, my right hand man, and a good friend of mine."

Kaine gives Katara a small bow before he reaches out and gently takes her hand in his. "So this is the Master Katara?" He asks, his voice cool and smoky. "Zuko hadn't been lying when he spoke about how beautiful you were," Out of the corner of her eye, she can't help but notice the womans demeanor sort of change after hearing Kaines words. The smile on her face drops and she seems to glare over towards Katara. Kaine leans down and places a small kiss on the top of her hand. "You are very lovely, Katara. It's nice to meet you."

Katara blushes and gives him a small curtsy. "Thank you, it's nice to meet you too, General Kaine."

Kaine does a small nod before smiling wide and placing his hands behind his back as he returns to Zuko's side. Katara turns towards the woman and gives her a small bow.

The woman juts her hand out in front of Katara's face, startling her a bit. Katara stands up and sheepishly takes the womans hand.

"I'm Poppy," She forces a smile as she squeezes Katara's hand so hard it hurts. "Zuko's girlfriend."

Katara takes her arm back in and gently massages her hand. She glances towards Zuko and then back at Poppy. She wonders what happened between him and Mai, but she figures now is not the time to question it.

"It's nice to meet you." Katara says as kindly as she can. She doesn't want to start any kind of problems, but she also wants to let her know that she didn't appreciate the unnecessary aggressiveness.

Poppy rolls her eyes before she turns back towards the two men. "Zuko, we're supposed to be having brunch at the Jasmine Dragon. If we wait any longer, we'll have to be served lunch." She whines at him a bit, her voice tight with slight annoyance.

"Oh, yeah," Zuko nods at her before he turns towards Katara, as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Katara, I'll have to have Kaine show you around in my place. I hope that's okay?" He asks, leaning a bit towards her.

Katara shakes her head and holds up a hand. "Oh, no, that's fine, Zuko! You go have a lovely date with your lovely girlfriend!" She says it genuinely, though it comes out sounding a bit sarcastic.

Poppy squints her already narrow eyes at Katara as she takes Zuko's arm and begins pulling him away a bit. "He will!" She says, glaring at Katara over her shoulder. Zuko seems to be oblivious to this, as he gives Katara a small wave before he turns to walk with Poppy.

Kaine and Katara stand in silence for a bit, as the couple walk away. As soon as they turn the corner, though, Kaine lets out a small laugh.

"Well, she's a bit stand-offish, don't you think?" He asks as he leans towards Katara a bit, his hands still behind his back.

Katara raises her brow and gives him an amused, questioning look. "A bit?"

He does a little shrug and then holds out his arm to her. "You don't mind me being your guide, do you?"

Katara shakes her head and wraps her arm around his. "No, it's fine." She smiles up at him and allows him to lead the way.

She doesn't know what it is about this guy, but he sort of makes her heart flutter in a weird kind of way. She can't help but look at him as they walk, he's very handsome, she thinks. He's tall, taller than Zuko by at least four inches. He is slim, but just by holding his arm, she can tell he's probably all muscle. He's got the dark black hair that is common in the Fire Nation pulled up into a single, round bun at the crown of his head. His facial hair is short, well kept goatee around his mouth with sharp angles. He keeps his hazel eyes focused forward, and he holds a small, rather sly looking smile on his lips. It's odd, but he seems both incredibly intimidating but welcoming at the same time.

Kaine walks quitely and gracefully through the Palace halls, his steps not making a sound. He keeps his chin up with a sort of pride and confidence, and Katara notices a thin scar, around three inches in length, running horizontally just under his eye on his right side. She wonders if it's one scar of many, as he is a General and probably served under Ozai as well. She figures that he has probably seen a battlefield or two.

"Your room is on the fourth floor," He informs her, as they begin making their way up a flight of stairs, stopping at every other landing, him having to show the guards a seal. "It's a very nice room, only Royal guests are allowed to stay on a floor so close the Fire lords quarters."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Zuko stays on the sixth floor. If you ever need him, feel free to call a guard. You must be granted access to the sixth level. Unless you're given a verbal or physical permit from the Fire Lord himself, you won't even be let through the stairwell."

"Wow, he really has some security, doesn't he?" She asks, as she begins to realize there are guards posted at every landing of each set of stairs.

"Of course." Kaine states flatly. "You never know what kind of enemy could infiltrate the walls."

Katara thinks about this as they arrive at the fourth floor, Kaine showing the guard at the door a slip before getting a nod of approval, the guard pressing the door open for the two. She remembers that a lot of people had remained loyal to Ozai even after his defeat, and she's sure there are still some loyalist groups out there. Zuko had gone through multiple attacks on the Palace and even himself. There had even been a couple assassination attempts, both inside the Palace walls and out in public that she had heard about, and she knows that there were a few, small, civil battles held on Fire Nation soil between Ozai's loyalists and Zuko's followers. The Palace had been placed on high security multiple times, lock down even, and she figured that this is as low as the security was allowed to get any more, after everything. At first it had seemed to be a bit much, but now she understood. He needed every person he could get to watch every inch of the Palace.

As they walk the halls, they pass door after door, and it seems as though Kaine picks a random one to call hers, but when he presses the door open, she sees that her bag has been placed on the bed.

"Here it is," He says, as he motions towards the large bedroom.

Katara tilts her head a bit to the side. How on earth had he known this was the room she would be stating in, after they had passed so many? "How did you...?" Kaine takes a step back and directs a finger towards the wall, pointing to a small plaque that has been placed on the wall. 'Master Katara, Royal Guest', it reads. "Oh!" She laughs and shakes her head at herself. All she had to do was see if a plaque had been placed next to a door or not to know if someone was occupying the room.

She finally takes a step in and gets to take a look around her room. It's large, with dark hardwood flooring and deep red paint on the top of half the walls, the lower half being a wood paneling that matches the floor. The large bed is placed in the middle of the room, a dresser to it's right, and a large window with a seat placed before it on the left.

"The rooms on this floor haven't been renovated yet, but they're still beautiful." Kaine tells her from behind the threshold.

She turns and realizes he hasn't stepped into the room along with her, as he stands at the doorway, his hands behind his back. "You're welcome in, Kaine." She tells him, as she motions for him to step forward. He seems to hesitate a bit at first, as he continues to stand still for a moment before he walks into the room and over to the large window.

Katara lets out a sigh as she sits down onto her bed and begins unpacking. She's really surprised at well the visit has been going so far. It's great to see Zuko again, if only for a minute, and it was nice to meet Kaine, and even Poppy. She hasn't even had the time to get nervous about anything, until now.

"I wonder how the Fire Nation has changed," She breathes out anxiously, as she separates her clothes into different piles, depending on the occasion they're to be worn. "I wonder how Zuko has changed. I'm worried about how I'm going to be honored. Do you know what it's going to be?" She asks, pausing her nervous folding and piling to look up towards Kaine.

He turns slightly towards her, a small smile on his face. "I'm sorry to admit that I have no information on how Zuko plans to honor you. But, I do have information both on the Fire Nation and Zuko." He turns towards her completely. "Forgive me if I'm being too forward, or acting with haste, Katara, but I would love to take the time tonight and speak with you over a fine dinner. I'll tell you everything you want to know, and I can only hope I'll be able to get to know you a bit better, as well?"

Katara blushes a bit and puts her cheek against her shoulder, hiding her face from him a bit as she smiles. "Kaine, are you asking me on a date?" She asks playfully.

"If that's what you want to call it."

"I think I'd like that."

"Oh!" He raises a finger. "That being that you have no previous arrangements for tonight, of course?"

Katara thinks for a second before she answers. "As far as I know, no." She shrugs.

"Great," Kaine steps towards her and takes her hand in his. "I'll return around six to fetch you?" Katara nods. "Until then, Katara." He gives her another small bow before he takes his leave, gently closing the door behind him.

Katara smiles to herself and she stands, making her way over the dresser and neatly organizing the few outfits she brought along with her. She's actually feeling excited to go out for a dinner with the General. Hopefully he'll tell her enough that she won't embarrass herself too badly in front of Zuko, or anyone else for that matter. She'll get a heads up on how everything has changed, and she'll get to hear about how Zuko has been doing as Fire Lord. Plus, getting to know Kaine better doesn't sound too bad, either.

She feels a little silly, having a bit of a crush on someone she only just met not even an hour ago, but he seems nice so far. Even if it was nothing, and she only felt this way because he was so good looking and kind, having one dinner date with the guy couldn't be too bad. Plus, she had made it a part of her internal list to have fun while on her visit to the Capitol. See Zuko, be honored, have fun, leave. Simple and quick was the way she wanted to keep it. She had already seen Zuko, and the dinner would probably be fun, that was half the list completed in one day! She would get to go back to Jong Shoi in no time.

After putting her things away, Katara decides to explore a little. She gently presses her bedroom door open and peeks her head out. There are a few guards standing every couple of meters apart along the walls. She steps out, gently closing the door behind her. The ceilings are high, and have large wooden support beams running horizontally from wall to wall. The floors in the halls match the dark wood that is in her bedroom, and they have a glossy sheen to them, as if they had just been waxed. The windows stretch from the floors to the tops of the walls, dark red silk curtains on either side of each window, matching their length. She gazes out the large windows as she walks. It's a lovely day and there's a nice view of the gardens and lawns from the fourth floor. On this side of the Palace, she can see a small zen garden with a fence made from bamboo posts around it. A man is tending the garden, making new patterns around the stones with his rake. She wonders if this is something he has to do everyday.

There isn't much else on her floor other than more guests rooms, a small open area with a few tufted benches and chairs placed near a bookshelf, and a few powder rooms. Out of curiosity, she decides to try to enter one of the stairwells, despite what Kaine had said earlier about needing permits to gain access to the other floors. When Katara enters the stairwell, she's surprised when she doesn't see a guard on the landing. She looks up to the next landing, and it is also vacant. She makes her way up the flight of stairs and stops in front of the door. Floor five. She turns, and yet again is not greeted by a guard. Another flight of stairs up, floor six. This is the level where Zuko's quarters are, and there are still no guards in sight. Katara decides to press her luck even further and go up another set of stairs. Floor seven. She wonders what could be behind this door, and gently, slowly and quietly presses it open.

Katara sneaks into the hallway and pauses, looking both ways before choosing a direction. Still no guards. She doesn't understand this, as she walks through the halls, there should be at least one. Maybe the guards are switching shifts, but would every floor really be empty of people while changing out? Wouldn't there still be traveling guards walking around, place holder guards who wait for the next guard to arrive for their shift? Shouldn't there be?

There is a lot more interesting things placed around the halls on this level. On hers, there were only generic tables with vases, some with flowers others without, usual Fire Nation tapestries on the walls with common symbols and designs on them. On this level, though, there are wood and glass cabinets with old trinkets and relics in them. There are stands with old Fire Nation wardrobes fashioned on them, which must be old items of clothing that had once been worn by the royalty. There are old paintings, sometimes of a single man or woman, other times it's a portrait of a family.

She comes across a door that is slightly open. She cranes her neck a bit to get a look inside. All she can see is a large bookshelf placed along the wall, and a large desk with a lot of different papers and files scattered across it. She leans a little bit closer to the opening, to where she can see more inside. There's a large window on the far wall, a bench placed at the base of it. Suddenly she realizes it's incredibly quiet. Too quiet, the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and she gets this overwhelming feeling of being watched.

She takes a deep breath in and holds it as she tip toes through the hall, careful to not make a sound. As she begins to round the corner, she spots a guard coming around the way. She turns quickly and places her back against the wall, hiding from his line of sight. What would happen if she was spotted? Would she get in trouble, even as an honored guest of the Fire Lord? Would they interrogate her if they caught her, or just send her straight to Zuko? What would he think, if he found out she was snooping around the Palace?

She lets out a huff and sprints, making a beeline for the closest stairwell. She flings the door open and runs down as many stairs as she can. She makes it down to level five before she hears a booming voice call out behind her.

"Halt!" A guard demands. She stops in her tracks and slowly turns around to face him. He stands on the landing she had just left. How on earth had he gotten there so quickly? Had he come through the door of level six and quickly ran down the stairs after her? "State your name!" He belts out.

"K- Katara. I'm here visiting Zuko." Katara is shaking as she reaches into her pocket and hands out her seal to him.

He snatches it from her and reads it to himself silently. "This information is inadequate. Where is your permit for the other levels?"

"I- I don't have it yet. I only just got here a couple hours ago. I only saw Zuko for a minute."

The guard takes Katara by the arm and drags her down the flight of stairs, to level four, where she should have stayed put. "You need a permit to access the other floors. You should have been issued a slip stating your accessible levels when you arrived. Air Ship Druk Two was late, wasn't it? Your servants must be unaware of your arrival. You stay in your quarters while I fetch them, Master Katara." The guard nearly tosses her into her room, and he stands still at the threshold as he warns her. "Some guards act with haste, my Lady. Travel these halls with caution."

Katara is fed up with him by this point and she barks at him. "Why!?" She turns to face him full on as she places her hands on her hips. "I'm an honored guest of Zukos!"

"And?" The guard draws out. Katara's mouth drops at how rude he is. He lets out an audible scoff before he continues. "Is Princess Azula allowed to traverse these halls? Is the former Fire Lord Ozai allowed to even step foot on the Palace lawns? Are they not of Royal Blood? Honored guest or not, young lady, you must be permitted access to certain levels. You have no business on the higher levels unless accompanied by the Fire Lord himself, do you understand?"

Kataras arms drops in defeat. This isn't Zuko's summer home on Ember Island, this was his Palace. She remembers how crazy and dangerous things had been for him when he first took the throne. Of course an insane level of security would be put in place, for his safety, and for his sanity. Who was she to waltz around the floors? How did the guards even know who she was? She could easily be some impostor, for all they knew.

"I'll have your servants bring you your documents within the hour. You're granted complete access of level four until then. Good day, Lady Katara." The guard gives her small bow before closing the door and leaving without another word.

She plops down onto her bed and lets out a huff. What a weird experience that was. She had just been lectured on needing permits, being granted access, needing a slip or some kind of seal on her person, having documents on her and her visit. Yet she had just gone up several flights of stairs, without a single guard in sight. What had happened? There was no way, with guards so uptight, that there would ever be even a moment of absence. Yet there had been. In fact, it must have been a few minutes, at the least. Why? How? Was it just a screw up in the system? Her Air Ship had been late, had that had anything to do with it? Had it put people out of place?

She turns and looks out her window. The sun is beginning to lower in the sky, and figures it must not be too much longer before she should be expecting Kaine to arrive. She gasps and sits up. Kaine! The dinner! She rushes over to her dresser and begins putting a new outfit together. She is only just slipping on a new pair of pants when she hears a knock on her door.

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 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	8. Chapter 8

**Finding Home**

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It hadn't been long since that one guard said he would send servants to retrieve Katara's needed permit, and it was around the time that Kaine had said he would come get her, but Katara still didn't who to expect at the door. Really, it could be anybody. She fastens the pants around her waist with the drawstring and rips open the top drawer to her dresser, remembering seeing a robe folded neatly for the next guest there. She puts it on as quickly as she can as she makes her way over to the door. If was Kaine, at least she was some-what decent now.

Just as she is reaching for the door, the person on the other side knocks again. "One moment!" Katara calls through the thick wood. She opens it slowly and slowly peeks through the opening, raising a brow at whoever could be waiting for her.

A young lady dressed in servant attire stands before the threshold, holding a small item on a pillow in the palms of her hands. "Good evening, Lady Katara. I hope I did not disturb you?" Her voice is young and sweet, Katara can't help but wonder how old she is.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it." Katara waves her off before she adverts the attention to the item the servant holds out to her. "What's this?"

"This is the documentation you'll be needing while visiting the Palace." The young servant smiles and extends her arms out towards the waterbender.

Katara can't help but look at the object in confusion. This was a document? With the way it was presented to her, was she even allowed to touch it? The servant seems to notice Katara's confusion, and she smiles as she puts her arms out a bit further towards her, silently insisting that she was to take the item.

Katara gently picks it up by the red ribbon it was attached to, made from fine silk, it has been strung through a hole in the top of the object. Upon remarking it, she finds that it is surprisingly heavy and Katara is careful with it as she examines it. It's a cylindrical piece of wood with six sides to it. Inside the center of the piece of wood must be gold, because it has a certain weight to it, and there are carvings so deep through the wood that it shines through, and makes the etching legible. 'Grand Tour Pass', says one of the sides, 'Permitted by Fire Lord Zuko', says the other, then there is a lovely, ornate pattern surrounding the Fire Nation insignia on the next side. These labels repeat once more, covering each of the six sides.

"Wow, this is..." Katara rotates it in her hand, the gold gleaming against the light. "Beautiful?" The servant smiles and nods, as she stands, waiting to be dismissed. It takes Katara a second to realize this. "Oh! Um, thank you. Is there anything else?"

"I'm not sure, is there anything you need, Master Katara?" She asks genuinely.

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll be on way then, Master Katara?"

"Yeah, I guess so." And with that, the servant gives Katara a bow before she leaves.

Katara puts the seal in her pocket, the weight of it pulls her pants a little, so she has to tie the drawstring a little tighter. Then she continues dressing, she puts on a shirt that is a simple wrap kimono, a, a deep maroon color with gold trimmings. She puts on the the gold shoes she had bought from Ty Lat's boutique to really bring the whole outfit together, the gold really popping out from her loose fitting black pants. As she looks at herself in the mirror, she realizes how different she looks. The only thing that was really the same, was her mothers necklace she still wore.

She gently places her finger tips on the smooth stone. She wonders what her mother would think of her now. With her hair pulled up into a bun, a Fire Nation outfit of clothes that, even though they were one of the smallest sizes available in most stores, still looked baggy on her. She had become so thin while battling her would her mother think of her sunken-in cheeks? Her protruding collar bone, her thin, spindly, legs?

She remembers her mother grabbing her cheeks. 'My little baby-face!' She teased. Katara let's out a sigh. There was no baby-face now, in fact, there was nothing 'baby' about her. No round cheeks anymore, no baby fat, no adorable, happy smile that babies often had. Just a tired, frail, frame of a young woman. Her mother would tell her to go eat a tart or two.

While these memories of her mother are precious to her, Katara tries to press these thoughts from her mind. Thinking about how much she's changed physically and mentally hurts, because she knows she's declined over the years. She doesn't want to think of the pain this would cause her mother, she doesn't want to taint the memories of her mother with sad thoughts. They're one of the few things she has left of her, other than the necklace. Katara runs her finger over the smooth fabric. This is her most prized possession, she figures.

Another knock on the door rips her out of this trance, and she turns to face the direction of the sound. This knock was harder, with a bit more force. Or maybe it was the weight of a man's hand that made the sound so loud. This time it must be the General. Grand General, Katara reminds herself. General over all other generals, commander of all Fire Nation armies.

Katara skips over to the door with a sudden excitement, happy butterflies beginning to flutter around in her stomach. She stops in front of it and lets out a sigh, composing herself before opening the door. She smiles as she sees Kaine standing there before her, hands behind his back.

Kaine has changed too, into a black, long sleeved, shirt with a high collar, and dark grey pants that are baggy, and tighten around his ankles. His shoes are black with gold hardware on them. He must have gotten a fresh shave, because the light stubble that had been on his cheeks is gone, and his goatee is even cleaner and has even sharper lines now. She looks up at him and sees his hazel eyes gleaming down towards her bright blue ones. He's very handsome, and she tries to stop gawking at him as she presses her cheek to her shoulder, hiding the blush that has crept up onto her cheeks.

"Good evening, Master Katara." He greets her, as he brings one of his around to his front for her to take.

"Good evening, Grand General Kaine." She steps out from her room and wraps an arm around his as she had done before.

"You look lovely." He draws out, his smooth, smoky voice pulling her in.

"Thank you." She nods her head down once in thanks, and keeps to his side as he begins walking.

"Does the Jasmine Dragon sound fine for dinner?"

"It does," Katara tilts her head a bit to the side, as she realizes this name is familiar. "That's where Zuko and Poppy went earlier for brunch? And... isn't it Iroh's tea shop?"

"Yes, but now some of them serve more than just tea. The one we're going to is more of a restaurant, but still features all of General Iroh's signature teas."

"That sounds great." She smiles at the thought of Iroh branching out, multiple tea shops popping up all over the place, all over the world, even. She knew he was a humble man and he had been content with just the one shop there in Ba Sing Se, but having his own empire of sorts, that couldn't be bad. She was happy for him, to have finally settled and found his place, a place to truly call home.

She's surprised and not surprised at the same time when, as soon they exit the front doors of the palace, a small caravan is waiting for them. Of course those of such high nobility and military ranking would have something like this, but was it really necessary? It was such a beautiful, cool evening. She had actually preferred to walk, but she didn't mind this little ride, so she decided to not say anything and enjoy it.

The trip to the tea shop isn't long, as it isn't far from the palace, and it's lovely. It's made of large, white bricks. The roof is black with gold trimmings that are common in the Fire Nation. Little bushes line the building just under the windows. The windows and doors have ornate designs in them in gold paint.

There's a man at the door, greeting the guests. Kaine shows him a seal and the greeter gives him a deep bow before showing them to their table. They are seated in one of the corners of the shop, and Kaine sits with his back facing the they wait for their waiter, Kaine starts the conversation.

"So, what brings you to the Fire Nation?" He asks, as he straightens out the cutlery on the table.

"I came at Mayor Hikos request." Katara answers, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. It was a half-truth, she wasn't ready to tell him about her situation with Aang.

"That boy from the water-village?" Kaine raises a brow.

"You know him?"

"Not personally. Him and Zuko have met before. I've only met him briefly."

"Oh, well, yes. The boy from the water-village. The mayor, actually, of the city of Jang Hui." She corrects and informs him gently.

"Oh, yes, Jang Hui!" Kaine leans in a bit towards her before sitting straight again. "I heard of what you did there! You saved that whole village."

Katara blushes a bit before she shakes her head. "I didn't do much, really." The two of them pause and thank their waiter as he brings them each a cup of complementary Jasmine tea. The waiter takes their orders before leaving them.

"So," Katara begins, before she takes a small sip from her glass. "How do you know Zuko?"

"My brother went to school with him." He answers quickly.

"Oh?" Katara inquires, interested in the relationship between the two men.

Kaine seems to hesitate, as he pauses and lets out a small sigh she almost doesn't notice. He seems to keep a certain facade. Always holding a rather straight face, never too much enthusiasm in his voice or emotion in his expressions. This question seemed to strike some kind of cord with him though, as she can see him tense up, his brows furrow a bit. She can't help but wonder about this.

He looks over to the waiter, who is bringing them their meals. He quickly takes a few bites before neatly wiping his mouth with one of the napkins, then he continues, breaking the silence that was beginning to get a bit awkward.

"Yes, they used to play together when they were children." He finally answers.

"So I guess I'll be meeting him sometime, too?" She asks before taking a bite of her noodles.

"No." He says flatly.

"Oh," Katara hesitates as she begins to feel tension rise in the air. "Do... you two speak?"

"No," With the force Kaine uses to jab his chopsticks into his bowl, she's surprised they don't snap in two. "Do you and your brother speak?" Kaine seems to hold back from spitting this out at her, the annoyance slipping out from under his collected voice. Katara doesn't know why, but this subject seems to be touchy, so she decides to stop pressing it.

"No, not regularly..." She answers softly. She had been so excited to go on this date with him, but it doesn't seem to be going to well, in her eyes.

"Did you get your permits?" He asks, returning to his usual, smooth tone.

Katara nods. "Yes. I got a Grand Tour pass, whatever that means." She shrugs before taking a sip of her tea.

Kaine pauses and slowly looks up at her, staring at her intensely. Katara stops and stares back him before she looks down at her clothes.

"What? Did I spill some noodles on my shirt?" She asks, pulling at some of the places where the fabric has created folds where the noodles could be hiding. When she's done checking for noodles, he's still staring at her. "Um... Kaine?"

"Did you ever find out what kind of event Zuko is going to hold for you?" He uses his usual tone of voice, and the way he seems to completely snap back to normal is odd to Katara, but she tries to ignore this. He's probably just as nervous as she is, and he's probably just trying to hide it. He had been so smooth earlier, but now they were out in public, maybe being around a lot of people he didn't know made him nervous, too. She catches him doing eye scans of the other guests every now then. She knows this is a common habit of those who had been in war. A lot of people in a small area just wasn't his thing, she figured.

"No, I haven't had the chance to ask him yet. I only saw him that one time." She admits sadly, her shoulders dropping a bit.

"Yes, he's quite busy, isn't he?"

"Is he now? Well, of course being Fire Lord and everything, but he seems to have a lot of personal affairs to attend to as well." Katara lightly rolls her eyes as she references Poppy, she hadn't expected Kaine to notice, but he lets out a light laugh at her.

"Yes, his duties of being Fire Lord take up a lot of his time, and Poppy even more."

"How long have they been together?"

"A couple years now." Kaine wipes his mouth again and Katara notices that his bowl is completely clear of food. She can't believe he's managed to eat so quickly, she's only gotten a few bites of her soup in. She hopes he doesn't want to leave soon. They've barely even spoken about anything.

"Wow, really?" Kaine nods before taking a sip of his tea. "How has he been doing as Fire Lord?"

"I would say pretty well. A few hiccups here and there, but you live and you learn." Katara nods in agreement to his words. Her smile fades, though, as she watches as he flags down the waiter, asking for the tab. Was he about to the end the night? She doesn't know what else to ask, her mind is suddenly void of any questions she had wanted answered. Had they even been important? Would they even matter? Kaine signs a slip and then stands.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" He asks as he steps towards her side. He holds out his hand to her and she takes it, allowing him to help her out of her seat.

"Of course." She smiles up at here was the Kaine that had gotten her attention in the first place.

He stood with such pride and spoke with such confidence, it was difficult to not be attracted to him. Being in a confined area with a bunch of people he didn't know probably just wasn't his thing. After years of being with the same soldiers day in and day out, there was a certain trust there. It may have been eight years since the wars ending, but people still lived with a certain degree of paranoia. Kaines seemed to be on the higher side of the scale. She shouldn't judge him for that, even if it had made the date a little awkward. Now she got to walk with him alone, by moonlight. Maybe now she could get to know him a bit more, without it getting awkward.

"So, you're the Grand General, huh?" She asks, as she hooks her arm around his. He smiles and nods. "That's a pretty high title."

Kaine laughs. "Yeah, it's a little ways up there." Katara smiles in relief. He seemed to instantly loosen up as soon as they got out of the crowded tea shop. "Only a guy or two I have to take orders from." He jokes.

"Oh, so you like giving all the orders?"

Kaine smirks and he takes his arm from hers to place it around her waist, pulling her a bit closer to him as they walk. "Being on bottom just isn't my thing." He says smoothly.

Katara can't help but laugh before she catches herself. Suddenly, she wonders if this is okay. Is it okay to flirt with someone like this? Someone she just met? She hadn't even been in the Capitol for a full day yet, and here she was with some guy's arm around her, joking about sexual innuendos.

She starts to psych herself out a bit, and she begins to get nervous. Would he take her too seriously? Would she be leading him on if she continued to play around? Would he start to think that she was ready and willing to do something with him? She leans a bit away from him, his hand moving from her side to the small of her back as she puts some space between the two of them.

She asks herself for a moment, why was she doing this? Going on a date with someone she just met? She figures part of it is because she is genuinely trying to have some fun while on her visit, and then she feels like, another reason may be because she's still looking for something, or someone. She had just left Aang, and after being with someone for so long and then just leaving, she couldn't deny that she felt a certain emptiness. She wasn't sure if things would get serious with General Kaine or not, but just to go out and date again after so many years couldn't hurt. She knew she needed to be content with being on her own, but she also knew that she shouldn't deprive herself of other people.

As she thinks about it, she realizes she had never been nervous around guys before, or anyone, really. At least, not until the last few years. The way the women on the Earth Kingdom hid their mouths behind their hands as they whispered to each other while she was around, the way the men would boldly ignore her, directing all their attention to Aang. She had been shunned and silenced, and was made to feel insignificant and small. She had developed a sort of social an anxiety over the span of the eight years she had dealt with people like that.

It hurts her to think about how much she's changed socially. She remembers how she had once been able to go up to anyone and start a conversation comfortably. She remembers how she had given a speech to all the earth benders on that ocean rig, something that, to someone else, could have been incredibly overwhelming and embarrassing, but it hadn't phased her. She remembers when she had met Jet all those years ago. She had thought that he was so tall and so handsome, he could have made any girl nervous, but Katara had no problem speaking to him.

She had grown into a young woman, and she was single now. She shouldn't be nervous, and she shouldn't be doubting herself. If this was all in good fun, then she should be able to do whatever she wants with whoever she wants, and this includes some harmless flirting. It may not be something she's done a lot, her and Aang really had no time to go through the 'heavy flirting phase', but she figured now was her chance to have a little fun and enjoy it with someone.

Kaine has guided her through the city, and they now stand on a dock that sits out above one of the larger lakes that are located in Caldera. It has an awning above it and railings around it, a few benches placed towards the middle of the wood flooring. Lanterns are hung from every other support post, gently illuminating the dock. She puts her weight on the side of one of the support beams as she leans against it, and he rests an elbow on the railing as he turns to his right to face her.

"It's a lovely view." She says, as she gazes at the little waves in the water, sparking with light from the lanterns of the dock and the glow from some of the windows of the houses that surround the lake.

"It is," Kaine says just above a whisper, and Katara can see out of the corner of her eye that he's not looking straight ahead like she is, he's looking towards her. She blushes and turns a bit towards the pillar, attempting to use it to hide her shy smile from him. She doesn't have to turn to know that he's approached her, because she can feel the warmth radiating off of him. He is surely a fire bender. "You are very beautiful, Katara." He says softly, his presence looming over her.

"Thank you." She says through a wide smile, which she is still trying to hide from him as she is still facing away from him.

Kaine reaches out and gently places a finger under her chin, getting her to face him. He's inches away from her, and she's pinned between him, the railing, and the support beam. "It's been great, getting to know you."

"I like getting to know you, too." She admits, as she begins to rise up on her toes a bit, closer to him.

"Would you like to continue getting to know each other?" He asks, his hot breath brushing against her lips, as their faces are now only inches apart.

"Yes," She nods, and he kisses her softly.

He slightly pulls way, leaving just enough space between their lips for him to ask, "Tomorrow?" Before he kisses her again.

She breaks the kiss this time, only to nod again and say, "Yes." Before she kisses him back.

He gently wraps his arms around her, and she's got her arms folded between them, her hands on either of his shoulders. They continue kissing softly for a while, and it's honestly a bit surprising to her that he's so gentle. He doesn't kiss her hard, or try to deepen the kiss by biting or running his tongue over her lips or anything, he doesn't press his weight into her to pin her against the beam. He doesn't impose himself on her in any way. He respects her, and only kisses her in the manner she kisses him, softly and gently. By what he was saying earlier, she figured that he would be a little more aggressive, call the shots, set the pace, and kiss her with a different kind of passion.

She lets out a small giggle as they break apart. "I thought you were the one who was going to be charge?" She teases.

He gets a little spark in his eye as he tightens his arms around her, bringing her a bit closer to him. "Don't tempt me, Katara," He growls lowly, but still playfully. The way his smoky voice rolls, it could make her melt in his arms. His eyes get a certain lustful look in them and he leans down and kisses her harder than before, but still carefully. She kisses him back and laughs a little bit against his lips before he pulls away.

"It's getting late," He says softly into her ear. "I'll walk you back to the Palace."

Katara nods and takes his hand, he laces their fingers together as they begin their walk back down to the Palace. They walk in silence and enjoy the lovely night together. A soft breeze blows every now and then, the sky is clear, and the moon and the stars illuminate the city.

When they get to the front doors of the Palace, Kaine stops and asks her if she knows the way back to her room. She nods, and lets him kiss her one last time before they part ways for the night. She doesn't bother holding back her smile as she goes up the stairs to her floor. She has a giddy feeling in her stomach and she has no idea how she's going to get to sleep tonight, she has too much to think about.

She only has to show her pass to a couple of guards on her way to her room, she's glad not every single one of them on each landing of each staircase asks for it. What a drag that would be. She wouldn't be able to stand for something like that, as she's so eager to get to her room. When she is finally able to fall down into her bed, that's just what she does. She gathers her pillow into her arms and she burrows her face into it, hiding her smile from no one.

She can't believe how the date ended from how it had began. Eating at the Jasmine Dragon had been a bit awkward, and Kaine had seemed to not be acting like himself. When it was just the two of them, or he was around other people he knew, he seemed to a lot more comfortable and lighthearted. She really enjoyed that side of him, and she hoped to see more of it. She couldn't deny that she had also enjoyed kissing him, too.

It was fun, being so carefree and doing as she pleased. She couldn't help but day-dream about what their date together tomorrow will be like, and then her fairytale-like thoughts are brought to a halt when her stomach lets out a loud growl. She remembers that she hadn't gotten the chance to eat much.

Katara steps outside and asks the nearest guard if dinner was done being served or not. He informed her that servants would bring her food as requested, but there may still be food set out. It's not too late into the night, and Katara decides to go ahead and make her way down to the dining hall.

Upon arrival, she sees two servants collecting a few plates from the head of the table. She must have just missed Zuko. She puts her palm to her forehead. Zuko! She had been meaning to speak with him and now she had probably missed her chance. She lets out a groan as she takes a lonely seat at the large table.

Servants bring her a plate, and she begins to dig in as she is deep in thought. Though she had a wonderful night, she needs to remember to stay focused. She was incredibly thrilled that she had so much fun on the first night, and she decided that maybe she would stay just a little longer than she had originally intended, but she still wanted to make an internal list to try to stay organized.

She finishes her meal and begins to go over the list in her head as she makes her way back up to her room. 'Information from Zuko, Date with Kaine," She lists silently. When she makes it to her room, she places her seal on her dresser before changes into some night clothes and dives back down into her bed, her full stomach making her incredibly tired. She falls to sleep with a smile on her face, as she goes over the list repeatedly 'Information from Zuko, date with Kaine, Information from Zuko, Date with Kaine,'

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	9. Chapter 9

**Finding Home**

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In the morning, Katara wastes no time in getting ready. She quickly gets out of the bed and changes into some light, airy clothes. Looking out the window, she realizes that it's actually a bit late into the morning. She has slept well past sunrise, but it still wasn't afternoon. Maybe breakfast was still being served, maybe Zuko was still sitting at the table. She grabs her seal on her way out and makes her way down to the dining hall. When she gets there, she finds the table has already been completely cleared of dishes. She lets out a huff and turns on her heel. When she asks, a guard posted at the doors to the dining room informs her that Zuko was still in the Palace, and was probably in his office, on the seventh floor.

"Oh!" She says as she remembers the room she had come across the other day. The one with the bookshelf and large desk. That must be his office. She makes her way up the stairs and notices that the security gets higher with each level. When she gets to the landing of level six, each guard she comes across asks for her permit, so she just puts the ribbon around her wrists and walks with the seal in her hand in an attempt to make the trip quicker. Every guard, though, takes the pass and rotates it, carefully examining every side before they nod and let her pass.

She can't help but roll her eyes and let out a huff as she walks through the door to the seventh level. It was so annoying, being held up on every landing of the staircases. Would this really be something Zuko would put up with? She figured, since he was the Fire Lord, everyone probably recognized him and let him pass without a second thought, but because she was just visiting, no one knew who she was. Hopefully, she would be able to get to a point, with at least a couple of the guards, to where they recognized her and let her travel through the Palace easily.

She roams the halls a bit, taking her time to look at the displays. This time, there is a guard every few meters as there should be, and she feels safe and at ease. Unlike last time, when even though the hall had been devoid of any and all guards, she had felt like she was being watched. Now she got to take her time and familiarize herself with the palace a little bit more.

When she comes to the door she had found before, she's surprised to see it open, but she's happy to see Zuko sitting at the desk this time.

"Zuko!" She calls out, and he takes his attention from the papers he is holding in his hand to look over at her.

His brows had been furrowed, but at the sight of her, his face softens as he smiles. "Katara," He greets back with a nod. "Good morning." He motions for her to come on in.

She looks around his office and is impressed with its beauty. This must have been one of the floors that had been renovated because the walls feature a lighter red colored paint on the top half of the walls, a gold trim separating it from dark wood paneling. The majority of the furniture is still a dark wood, but most of the upholstery on the chairs are white, or a muted version of red, or a cream color. Before his desk, he has a cream-colored chaise lounge featuring dark wood with gold detailing on it, and some kind of fur throw folded over it. Next to it is a red tufted sofa chair.

Katara takes a seat on the lounge and runs her hand over the fur throw, it reminds her of the pelts from the Water Tribe. She wonders what kind of animal it has been made from as she looks at all the trinkets and knickknacks that are placed on the shelves that run along the walls. She shakes her head at herself, she hadn't come here to visit the Palace's museum, she came here to speak with Zuko.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you." She admits.

"No, no, you're fine." He says, as he shuffles around the papers and files he has on his desk, like he's searching for something.

"I just wanted to ask, um, when... what do you have planned for me? When, exactly?" She pulls on the fur of the throw as she begins to get a bit nervous.

"I'm going to hold a gala in your honor." He tells her quickly, stacking a few papers into a pile, clearing up space on his 's still got his main focus on his work.

"Oh, when?"

He lets out a long huff, clearly lost in thought for a moment. "In a few days, I think." He pauses in his shuffling and looks up at her. "I'm sorry for the holdup. A few things I really want to be there have been delayed. The shipments were supposed to arrive earlier this morning, but with new icebergs forming in the North-" Zuko stops and cringes a bit, catching himself, just realizing he may have given too much information.

Katara tilts her head to the side a bit. The North? Was he importing things from the Northern Water Tribe? "What? The North?" She asks.

"No, I mean, shipping things from Ba Sing Se to Caldera is hard sometimes." He says weakly, in an attempt to recover.

"That's not what you said earlier!" She teases. "Are you getting things from the Water Tribes for me?"

Zuko's shoulders drop and a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. He does a little shrug, as if admitting defeat. "I just want you to feel at home."

Katara lets out a small 'aw' and a small, sad, smile forms on her face. Home? She hadn't thought of the Water Tribes as home in a long time. Sure, it was where she was from, but was it home? No, she doesn't think so. She doesn't even have a hut there to call her own for when she visits. But then again, she doesn't visit. Then she thinks of her house in Jong Shoi. She had lived there for a few months now, was that home? She wasn't sure.

"Thank you, Zuko. I really appreciate that. It's really thoughtful of you to do that."

He shakes his head. "It's the least I could do for you, Katara. After all you have done for the nation" He gives her a smile before he begins organizing his papers again.

She sits in silence and watches him for a little bit. He looks so flustered, as he snatches up a paper, quickly examines it, and then tosses it to land somewhere on his desk before he picks up another and repeats the process. Whatever it was he was looking for, he just couldn't seem to find it.

She shakes her head and lets a little laugh at him. He seemed so unorganized. Maybe this is one of the things Kaine had been speaking about the night before. 'A few hiccups here and there,' She remembers him saying. Was this one of Zuko's current hiccups? A mess covering his desk, leaving him frazzled among all the clutter? She wishes she could help him, but she figures that none of those documents are any of her business, and it's not her place to be interjecting into his work.

She thinks about what he had said. 'In a few days, I think.' In a few days? He thinks? Her shoulders drop a little. She had wanted to get back to Jong Shoi as quickly as she could, and now there was some sort of hold up that was out of her control. If something happened, and she wanted to leave before the gala, would she be allowed? Would Zuko be upset with her if she up and left like that? Has he already advertised it, were people already preparing and waiting in anticipation for the party? What would the people think of her if she bailed?

She lets out a huff beings massaging her forehead. This was a feeling she didn't miss, worrying about what other people thought of her. She wishes she could get to how she used to be. She remembers how she and Toph had gotten all dolled up for the party the Earth King had thrown for his pet bear. She had once loved being in that kind of setting. Getting to wear makeup and a new dress, getting to eat a nice meal and talk with new people. But then, whenever she was with Aang, doing business with him, people seemed to think of her as less than them. When she had gone in disguise, people treated her as an equal, but when she was as herself, they didn't. Would this repeat here, in the Fire Nation, as she stood next to Zuko as an old friend? She has had this thought before, that if people hadn't cared when was the Avatars Girlfriend, then they probably wouldn't care if she was the Fire Lords old friend.

She really begins to dread the whole gala and she tries to push the thoughts of it from her mind. She doesn't want to be worrying about it, she wants to be having fun, as she promised Hiko she would. Just as her mind is beginning to wander to thoughts of her date with Kaine last night, she spots a silhouette of a man appear in the doorway. She looks over and sees no one other than the Grand General standing there behind the threshold, his hands behind his back. He has seemed to have gotten Zuko's attention, too, because he looks up from his papers and towards him.

"Kaine," Zuko greets.

Kaine gives him a small nod. "Good morning, Zuko."

Katara stands and makes her way over to him, wondering, had he not seen her? "Good morning, Kaine!" She greets with a smile that quickly diminished as he turns to look at her, an indifferent expression on his face. Was he not happy to see her? She slinks back, away from him a bit.

He turns his attention back over towards Zuko. "Poppy is looking for you." He informs dryly.

Zuko lets out a small sigh and pushes his chair away from his desk, giving himself enough room to stand and walk out from behind it. "Where?" He asks, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"She left me on level six."

Zuko presses by Kaine and disappears around the corner. Katara bites her lip and rocks back and forth on her heels a bit, unsure of what to do now. She turns her head to seem as if she's looking at things on the bottom shelf of the bookcase, but she's really watching Kaine out of the corner of her eye. She's surprised when she sees a smile form on his face.

"Good morning, Katara." He purrs.

She slowly looks over towards him, still feeling a bit unsure. "Kaine?" She asks softly.

He takes a few steps into the room and stands a bit behind Zuko's desk. "Are you still up for our morning together?"

She smiles wide and nods. "Yes, of course!"

Kaine nods over towards the door, motioning for her go before him. On her way out, she looks over her shoulder to see if he's following, and she catches him tossing a file onto Zuko's desk before he quickly follows her out of the room, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together as they walk. She can't help but wonder if that was what Zuko had been searching for earlier, so she asks.

"What was that?"

"Information Zuko had requested." He says flatly.

"I think Zuko was looking for that earlier, why didn't you tell him you had it?" She presses.

Kaine shakes his head. "He was expecting me. He may have misplaced something else, but he knew that packet was coming today..." He trails off a bit and she notices him tighten his jaw, and shoot her a glare from the corner of his eye. "Why is it of your concern?"

"Oh," Katara looks away, embarrassed a little bit. He was right, who was she to be pestering him about things that were none of her business? She had no idea what she was talking about. "He just seemed really frustrated. I just wanted to help."

"Zuko is a grown man, he can organize his documents or not on his own."

"I'm sorry." She says softly as turns her face away from him even more, hiding the hurt expression on her face. She doesn't understand why he has to be so harsh sometimes, and for a split second, she thinks that this may be their last date together. He seems to notice that he must have hurt her feelings, because he pulls on her hand a bit, causing her to bump into him as they walk.

"It's okay," He draws out, teasing her a bit, he says it like she had been overreacting. "So, do you want to know what our plans are?" He asks with a bit of excitement, lightening the mood.

"Yes," She nods her head and smiles as she looks forward again.

"We're going to see an Agni Kai, do you think you'd like that?"

"An Agni Kai?" She asks, confused. She's heard of them before, and she knows they're something serious. Then she remembers that she's been to one before, even in one before, you could say. Back when Zuko and Azula had vied for the throne and, after nearly killing Zuko, Azula had gone, in a mad craze, after her. Agni Kais were not something she saw as fun, and she didn't understand why Kaine would want to attend one. "Why?"

"This isn't the kind of duel you're thinking of," He starts, his voice smooth. "This isn't a battle, it's a game. It's an Agni Kai for sport, for fun."

"Really?" She asks, intrigued by how it's evolved over the years.

"There are still duels held for the same old reasons, but now there's a league, with different teams and opponents."

"Oh," Katara draws out, finally understanding what he means. It's not some fight for honor anymore, at least not this one. It's more like the old Earth Rumbles held underground in the Earth Kingdom. "A tournament?"

"Yes, exactly. I hope you'll think it's fun?" He sounds genuinely concerned about her feelings.

Katara smiles and nods. Watching these sorts of matches wasn't really her thing, but she had ended up enjoying the Earth Rumble VI they had attended all those years ago, so why wouldn't she like this? Her smile fades at little, though, at the thought of Sokka. Now that was someone who would really enjoy this. She wishes he could be there, with her. She wonders if he got the scrolls she had sent.

Kaine seems to notice the change in her expression and he takes his hand from hers to place an arm around her shoulder. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no," She shakes her head. "I just suddenly really miss my brother." She mumbles a bit, as she admits this sadly.

"Oh," Kaine hums a little bit, in thought. "I understand." He says softly.

Katara tilts her head a little bit and remembers the last time the subject of brothers came up in their conversation. She hesitates a bit, wondering if she should press for any kind of details, "You do?" She asks timidly.

"Yes." She can tell by the tone of his voice that it had been a mistake to ask for any information concerning his brother, so she decides to quickly change the subject, as he had done the night before. "So, you like watching the fire duels?" She blurts out.

Kaine does a little shrug "They're a fun event to attend."

As they exit the palace, Kaine calls for a caravan to take them from the palace to the arena, and on the way, they chat a little bit about the duels and how it's become what it is today. There are still battles held over disputes, but those are different and completely separate from the kind they're going to attend today. Instead of burning each other or even killing the other, they earn points by burning off ribbons that have been tied around the limbs of their opponents, each one earning a different amount of points. This kind of fight is set up in a tournament, where different opponents battle each other to win a lump-sum of money and gain a higher ranking in the league. People battle each other out of the running, the losers dropping out until only two remain, to fight for the biggest pot of money, and the title of champion.

As they approach the arena, there is a large gathering of people surrounding the building. Kaine must have some sort of pass, because they are escorted through the sea of people and guided to a side entrance. They make their way through a few sets of doors, and finally come out from under the stands. They're at ground level, and they're escorted to front row seats, only a meter or two from where their feet were and a white line painted on the ground, marking out where the edge of the fighting ring. The seats around them are already full, as well as the majority of the other seats in the stands.

There are flags posted around the top of the stands, some with the Fire Nation insignia, other with what must be the games logo, and others with names on them, most likely the fighters names. Katara can see that there a food court of sorts on the right side of the arena, that must sell merchandise and other kinds of things because she can see adults and children alike putting on hats and shirts with certain fighters' names on them. She also notices that a lot of people have multiple bands tied around their arms, proudly showing which fighter they're rooting for.

She wonders why, after how nervous he seemed to be at the tea shop, why would he take her to yet another place filled with people? If he gotten worked up in such a calm setting, wouldn't he also here? There is a difference, though, as the energy in the arena is great, and watching the fights is surprisingly really entertaining. Perhaps the tea shop was too mall, and too personal. This was outside, and exciting. It had also been their first date, she reminds herself, everyone gets little nervous on a first date. He seemed to be enjoying it, and it was nice to see him hold a small smile on his face. She hopes she'll like it, too. At the Earth Rumble, she felt like it was just a bunch of guys throwing rocks at each other, but she found the fire was beautiful to watch, and with how close they were seated, every now and then she could feel the heat from a fire blast.

She is mesmerized by the fire, and she watches intensely as two men duel until Kaine nudges her with his elbow. "Those men are quite good looking, you think?" He asks jokingly, with a smile on his face. A blush creeps up onto her cheeks. He must have thought that she had been gawking at the men, who fight without shirts on, even though she had really been lost in thought as she watched the fire.

"Oh, I wasn't- I was watching the fire!"

He lets out a small laugh at her. "I'm just messing with you!"

She shakes her head and turns back toward the arena, and she claps when there is a woman contestant. Kaine must notice this, because he tosses a small pouch of coins onto the sideline, where someone will come and collect it along with the others, and put it into the money pot.

"You want her to win, too?" She asks.

"If you do," He says, raising his voice a bit so she can hear him over the roar of the crowd as the match begins.

She smiles and nods, and he turns back to face the playing field. She takes a moment to look at him. A light stubble is on his face, surrounding the longer hair of his well-kept goatee. Today must be one of his days off, as he hasn't shaven, and he isn't wearing his usual formal outfits. He is still wearing a sharp outfit, it just shows too much skin to pass for a General's uniform. It's a black tunic, that shows off his arms, and she spots the top of a tattoo on his back, peeking out from behind the collar as it creeps onto the back of his neck just a bit. All she can make out is a crown, the top of the head of something, and a little way away from the middle, she can make out the tips of wings. It must be some kind of bird with a crown on its head. She wonders if it's a full back piece and if he has any other tattoos, as his arms seem to be bare. She tries to stop gawking at him long enough to enjoy the match in front of her.

The fight is exciting, and the guy going against the woman has a hard time keeping up with her. She's incredibly fast and agile, and she's got half of his ribbons seared off of him before he's got more than two of hers on the ground. The crowd goes crazy when she fires a small, single blast of fire at the man's neck, aiming for the ribbon with the most points, which ends the game immediately with a win. It almost goes in slow motion, as the man leans back as far as he can, seething as he closes one eye, keeping the other on the fire blast. The fire flies by and the crowd goes silent, waiting to see what will happen. There's a moment's pause, and then the crowd erupts as the ribbon seems to crumble, and gently fall to the ground from the man's neck.

"Intermission!" One of the speakers calls out to the crowd. It had been the last match before the break, and two women come out from either side of the stands, dressed in little clothing as they hold up intermission signs.

"This your favorite part, isn't it?" Katara teases Kaine at sight of the ladies.

He lets out a laugh and shakes his head. "No, is it yours?"

Katara laughs and lightly smacks him on the upper arm. "No!" She smiles as he wraps an arm around her and pulls her close, giving her a quick kiss.

The sun is now in the lower half of the sky, and Katara realizes that she hasn't eaten yet. Suddenly, she also realizes that she's been sitting in the baking sun all day, and she's really tired. She's been having a great time with Kaine, watching the matches with him and chatting with him every now and then, she doesn't want it to end, but she could go for a nap.

He seems to notice her shift in energy and he pecks her on the forehead with a kiss. "Are you done?" He asks softly.

She does a sad smile and slowly nods. "I think so," She admits. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it is really tiring, isn't it?" He stands and holds out his hand for her to take.

He calls for a caravan to take them back to the Palace and she has trouble staying awake during the ride. They part ways rather quickly, him walking her up to the Palace doors as he done the night before, giving her a small kiss before he left her. She makes her way to her room and takes a nice, long, cool bath when she gets there. Afterward, she sprawls out on her bed. The day had been a really good one, and she is so happy about it. She can't believe how worried she had been about her trip before she arrived. Then, she had wanted to get in, attend the gala, and get out. Now, here she was happily spending her days with the Grand General of the Fire Nation armies.

She notices that he hadn't judged her. Not once had he looked her up and down with an upturned lip, or scoffed at her, or spoke badly about her. He had shown her a great deal of respect, and she really appreciated him for it. As she thinks about it, she also realizes that he reminds her a bit of Jet. He was tall, handsome, and mysterious. He had a way with speaking that got her all wrapped up, and she just hopes that he's not using her as a pawn for something, as Jet had once done. Kaine has his quirks, and obviously, has certain things he doesn't like to speak about, but she felt like he was genuine and she honestly didn't feel like he would do something like that to her. Besides, how could he?

Thinking about this day made her happy, too. She had been able to spend the majority of the day with Kaine but also surrounded by a lot of people without getting nervous, not even once, except briefly with Zuko. Sure, she had woken up a bit late, but she had gone on about her day without any of her anxieties acting up. She really couldn't believe it. Even in Jong Shoi, she had problems speaking with people at times, and sometimes, she had trouble even being around them in large groups. Yet today, she had been in an arena full of people, and she had been completely comfortable.

She feels as though she just about to nod off when she hears a knock on her door. She can't even be bothered to get up, she just calls for the person to come in. The door gently swings open and she's surprised to Zuko standing on the other side it. She sits up and looks at him, still wearing his formal clothes, though he looks exhausted and even a bit disheveled. He's got dark circles under his eyes, and his hair is falling out of the topknot, the majority of it brushing against his shoulders, his crown barely staying in place. She wonders what has caused him to come to this state so early in the evening, and she hopes everything is alright.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Katara," He says, as he hesitantly steps into her room, and makes his way over to the side of her bed. "I just wanted to personally let you know that, after tomorrow, everything will be prepared for your gala. I hope you don't mind staying another day?"

Another day to spend with Kaine? "No, not at all." She says with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad." He gives her a smile before he turns and begins making his way out of the room. "I'll see you later, Katara."

She gives him a small wave before he closes the door behind him. She lets out a sigh and falls down into her mattress. She gets a little giddy, thinking about dancing with Kaine and spending another night with him. She's happy to finally be able to look forward to her gala, and just wants to skip a day ahead to get to it.

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 **A/N:** Thank you for the , favorites follows, and reviews! Please continue to leave them and tell me what you think! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	10. Chapter 10

**Finding Home**

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The next day, Katara awoke early enough to catch Zuko just as he is leaving the breakfast table. Instead of taking a seat and eating a meal herself, she quickly snatches up a sweet bun off the table and eats it as they walk together.

"I've been trying to get a chance to actually talk with you since I got here." She says, before taking another bite of the bread. She notices Zuko walks with a fast pace, and she tries to keep up without huffing as she eats her little breakfast.

"I know, I've been meaning to set up some time for you, but I've got a lot to deal with right now." He says as he begins making his way up the stairwells. Katara continues to follow closely behind him.

"Don't you have people who can help you?"

"No." He says flatly before he looks at her over his shoulder, glancing towards her. "There are few people I can trust."

"What about Kaine? Can't you trust him?" She can't stop the cute, little smile that tugs on the corner of her lips as she brings up the Grand General's name.

Zuko must notice it also, as well as the blush that has crept up on her cheeks as he lets out a small scoff. "Of course, but only to a certain extent. I can't just tell him everything. What are you doing, hanging around him anyway?"

"But haven't you two been friends since you were younger? And, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I needed the Fire Lord's permission on who I could 'hang around' with." She parrots him before taking the last few bites of the sweet bread, just as they make it onto level seven.

"For your information, no, he and I were not friends when we were younger. And no, you don't need my permission, but you should be careful around certain people, Katara." Zuko deadpans as he holds the door to level seven open for her, allowing her to slide past him.

Katara stops and turns on her heel, placing her hands on her hips, as she faces him. "What do you mean you weren't friends? That's what he told me! And how is Kaine someone I should be careful around? You said it yourself he was your right-hand man! He's the Grand General of all your armies!"

Zuko shakes his head at her and smiles, amused by what a know-it-all she was being. "I was friends with his younger brother when I was little. Kaine and I didn't get close until after the war." Before she can ask any more questions, he goes on to the second point. "And what I mean is, he's ten years older than you, Katara! He is one of my best friends, and that's how I know that he's not the best of men when it comes to courting women."

Katara lets out a small gasp before she begins following him down the hall. "Whoever said him and I were courting!?"

Zuko shakes his head at her again, but this time he lets out a small laugh. "The expression on your face when you speak about him?"

She rolls her eyes and lets out a long sigh as she takes her seat on the chaise lounge Zuko has in his office, as he settles down in the chair behind his desk. Now that she thinks about it, Kaine had never said that he and Zuko were friends when they little, all he had said was that Zuko and his brother had gone to school together. She wonders how their relationship came to be then, because if Zuko and Kaine's brother had been friends, not the other way around, and Kaine was eight years older than Zuko, then how had Zuko and Kaine even become such good friends? Why was Kaine here, as Grand General, and not his brother? Had all three of them had a big falling out that left the brother estranged?

She thinks about the night of their dinner date, and Kaine had seemed to get very tense and short with her whenever she tried to bring up the subject of his brother. He seemed to get really annoyed when she asked if the two of them spoke, and he had even said that they didn't have contact with each other. Then she remembers yesterday when she had brought up Sokka and admitted to him that she was missing her brother, he had said that he understood. So, his brother was a sore subject because they must have had a falling out, but despite it, Kaine still missed his brother, she figured.

Then her mind wanders over to what Zuko had just said. 'He's not the best of men when it comes to courting women'. What did that mean? She wonders. Did Kaine like to go from one to the other? Or maybe he didn't even take the time to wait, and was with multiple women at the same time? Was Katara one of many? She sinks down into the plush lounge a little bit, as her heart sinks down into her chest. Was she just a play thing, when it came to Kaine?

"Um, Zuko?" She asks shyly, as she realizes he had been in the middle of reading something. As he is still holding the paper up in front of his face, he adverts his eyes over to her. "What do you mean when you said that Kaine wasn't good when it came to girls?"

Zuko puts the paper down and faces her completely. "He just can't seem to keep one around. He'll be with one girl for a short while, and then go for months without, find a girl, see her for a week, break up and be single for four months, and so on and so forth." He carefully explains.

Katara lets out a loud, annoyed, scoff when she hears this. "Well, maybe he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he really fell for those girls, and when they left him he was so brokenhearted he couldn't bear to be with anyone else for a while!"

Zuko tilts his head back a bit and lets out a light laugh. Katara's jaw drops a bit at his reaction. "Are we speaking about the same guy, Katara? Kaine? Tall guy, black hair, goatee?"

"Well, maybe you just don't know him as well as you think you do!" She says, as she stands up and places a hand on his desk, as she leans towards him.

Zuko looks her in the eye. "When is his birthday?" He challenges her with a smug look on his face.

Katara's shoulders drop and she looks down to the mess he has spread out across his desk. Her eyes widen at the sight of a folder among all the single sheets of paper. "Oh! Did you ever find what you were looking for the other day?"

"I did. Why?"

"Well, I think Kaine had it. Was it that folder, there?" She asks, pointing at it.

Zuko turns his attention to the folder and shakes his head. "No, this is a report I had requested from him," He pauses and lifts up the folder to retrieve the small stack of papers that were placed neatly under it. "This is what I was looking for."

Katara tilts her head a bit as she backs up and carefully sits back down onto the lounge. Zuko had looked all over the top of his desk for that stack of paper. He had even begun clearing out parts of his desk and begun creating his own little stacks, cleaning the mess as he looked for it. How could he have missed it? It was so neatly put together, it looked as if it was a fresh batch of paper from a mill. Katara couldn't help but think that maybe Kaine did have that stack of paper all along, and just hid it underneath the file. Part of her tells her to remain quiet, that this is none of her business, but she just can't help it.

"I think he had those papers." She blurts out.

"That's impossible," Zuko says quickly, not even taking the time to think about it, or hear her out. "There's no way he would have had access to them. Plus, there's no reason for him to have any interest in these."

Katara lets out a small sigh and she shakes her head a little. But how else would those papers be oh so conveniently placed underneath the file Kaine had dropped onto his desk the previous day? "How wouldn't he be able to get to them, they're left right on your desk, aren't they?"

"They are, but no one has access to this floor unless they're appointed or accompanied by me and only me. This is my personal office, Katara. This isn't just a regular study in the Palace."

Katara tilts her head to the side a bit, remembering what happened a day ago. "Well, I made it to this level without a problem the other day." She says matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?" Zuko asks, a warning tone in his voice.

"I went up multiple flights of stairs and down plenty of halls without seeing a single guard!"

Zuko shakes his head. "That is absolutely ludicrous, Katara!"

"I swear!" She argues.

"You must have been dreaming."

"No, I wasn't!" She exclaims, and by the look on his face, she can tell his patience is beginning to wear thin with her, and she decides to give in before he orders her out of his office. She continues quickly before he can get another word in. "Well, why wouldn't he want them?" She presses.

Zuko lets out a huff and pinches the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself. He tries to go back to normal, but his voice is tinged with annoyance as he answers her question. "They're just messages to the colonies in the Earth Kingdom. He's too high in ranking to want to have anything to do with them, I assure you. I don't even want to have anything to do with them." He rolls his eyes and does a little shrug. He may be a high and mighty Fire Lord, but he was still a young man, who probably wanted to do other things than slave away behind a desk day in and day out.

Katara lets out a small laugh at him, easing the tension that had begun to rise in the air. She decides to let it go, and she does a little shrug to herself, maybe Zuko just hadn't noticed the papers because they were paper, and they did still blend in with everything else he had on his desk. Maybe once the file folder was placed on top of them, he hadn't noticed they were there until he picked up the file. She shakes her head, why did she even care? It was none of her business. Kaine had been appointed to Grand General for a reason, and odds are, it wasn't because he was tampering with important documents. Zuko didn't believe he would do something like that, and though she didn't know him very well, she didn't think he would, either. Especially without reason.

She leans back into the chaise lounge and lays out a little bit, she had gotten up so early she was feeling like she could go for a nap. This was not the place, she reminded herself. But, it was such a nice, quiet place. She could do a lot of thinking here, she figured. And she did. She didn't know why she suspected Kaine so suddenly. Zuko had shaken her up a little bit when he said that she should be careful around him. Now she understood that it was because of something that had to do with women, but maybe she just wanted to pin something on him really quick, to solidify what Zuko had said.

But why? She presses the subject further. She can't help but think that maybe it also has something to do with her relationship with Aang. It had been quite a few months, she had left at the start of summer and now it was nearing the end of fall, but she still felt like she hadn't really left him, at least not completely. Sure, she didn't want to be in that kind of relationship with him anymore, but she still loved him. She wasn't sure if there was any romantic love left there, but she knew there was still some sort of love left for him. There always would be.

She wonders if she's even ready for a new relationship. Kaine was tall, handsome, and seemed to be very sweet, but was she ready to pursue something with him? After what Zuko said, should she? She lets out a sigh and she begins to massage her forehead. Why was she taking this so seriously? She had a little crush on him, this was just a little fling while she was visiting the Capitol. She wants to get back to Jong Shoi as quickly as possible, she reminds herself. She didn't want to start something just have it end when she went back to the small town. He was nice to look at, and fun to kiss, though.

As she thinks about the two days they had spent together, she realizes just how much Kaine had reeled her in. At first sight, she was physically attracted to him, but as she spent more time with him, the more she wanted to get to know him. From what she knew, he had grown up here, in Caldera, and he had known Zuko, had joined the army at some point, climbed the ranks, earned himself a scar or two and was now the Grand General, and one of Zuko's only good, personal friends. He was interesting, and part of her wanted to continue to get to know him. Maybe they would write each other.

She can't help but shake her head at herself. What a silly idea. She decides to think about something else, by talking about something else. "So, Zuko," She starts, as turns on her side to face him. "How's it going being Fire Lord? Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's great fun."

"Is it?" She teases, noticing the sarcasm in his voice. "Kaine said there had been a few hiccups here and there?" She smiles at him as she pokes fun at him.

"There have been," He glances at her from behind a new paper he holds up to hide his blush.

"What was it?"

Zuko rolls his eyes, his blush quickly disappearing as he is beginning to get a bit annoyed by her again "Aang, your idiot of a boyfriend!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Katara shouts as she sits straight up on the lounge. Zuko puts the paper down as he presses his back up against his chair, looking at her with a confused look on his face.

"He's not?"

"No!" Katara shakes her head. "He's not!" Her patience was wearing thin with everyone always pairing her and Aang together, and no one ever acknowledging her as her own, single being. Zuko had just teased her earlier about being with Kaine, so why was he saying that she and Aang were still together? It really bothered her, coming from him, and it kind of hurt her, too.

"I'm sorry, Katara," He says softly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Why would you tease me about Kaine earlier if you thought Aang and I were still together?" She tosses her hands up in the air as she glares at him.

"I was only teasing," He stresses, getting a little hot under the collar. "I didn't know you had really left him, and I didn't know you were really with Kaine."

"Well, I did...and, I am!" She crosses her arms and turns towards the window, ignoring him.

Zuko rolls his eyes and does an annoyed shrug at her attitude towards him. "Well, excuse me for being so ignorant when it comes to the complexities of your relationship with the Avatar. Maybe if the two of you hadn't cut off all contact with me so many years ago, I wouldn't be so ill-informed." He growls at her, before he lifts up a page to his face, ignoring her this time around.

Katara's arms and shoulders drop as she slowly turns to face him. She tilts her head to the side a bit and looks at him with confusion. She hadn't cut off contact, Aang had. She just never spoke to him, because he never spoke to her. She doesn't like having him think that she had never wanted to stay in touch with him.

"I didn't cut off contact with you, Zuko." She corrects softly before she goes back to being mad at him. "I'm not the one who never sent any messages." She sneers at him.

"What are you talking about? You never responded to any of my scrolls!" He snaps out, dropping the paper on his desk yet again.

Katara's jaw drops a bit. "What are you talking about?" She puts emphasis on the 'you'. "I never got any scrolls!"

"Well, I sent them!" He informs as he motions outwards, towards the window, probably meaning to signify her in the Earth Kingdom.

Katara scrunches her face up in confusion. She didn't understand what was going on. "What do you mean?" She asks softly, leaning towards him a bit.

"I sent you messages, Katara. You just never responded."

"No, you're lying!" She argues.

Zuko gets up and makes his way over to one of his bookcases, with cabinets on the lower half. "Katara! I have records of all my outgoing and incoming messages! I have the copies!" He rips open one of the drawers and points down into it. She stands and makes her way over, looks down to where he's pointing and spots a set of six scrolls. Her heart sinks at the sight, and she doesn't know how to take in this information. She's so confused, she cups her hands over her mouth and shakes her head and she squeezes her eyes shut.

"Katara?" Zuko asks softly. "What's wrong?"

She tries hard to not cry. "Aang!" She lets out, as she throws her hands down to her side. "He must have intercepted your letters! He must have hidden these from me!" Her voice is full of anger and hurt as she holds back tears.

"Are you serious?" Zuko asked, appalled.

Katara nods her head. "Yes! He's done this before, when we were younger, with scrolls concerning my father's whereabouts during the war." She admits this sadly.

"Wow, I knew he could be an asshole sometimes, but I didn't know it was that bad."

She reaches in and gently picks up one of the scrolls, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "If he hid these from me, what else?" She asks through a few sniffles.

Zuko gently places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry he did this, Katara. You're free to take them to read." He gives her a small smile as he motions over towards the lounge, where she seemed to be the most comfortable while in his office. She looks up at him with sad eyes, and he nods, assuring her that it was fine to stay in his company while she read the scrolls.

She gathers them up and sits down, placing the fur pelt over her lap as she reads the scrolls. The first couple is just Zuko writing to both her and Aang, but addressing her more. He speaks to her as a friend, filling her in on how things are going as he adjusts to being Fire Lord, he talks about his Uncle and even Mai. Then in the next couple of scrolls, he beings to get a bit more personal, and the scroll seems to only be speaking to her, as he asks her about the healers in the Northern Water Tribe, and if they can also heal mental illnesses. He's asking about helping Azula. He also talks briefly about how he misses the entire Gaang, and his Uncle, as Iroh has now moved to Ba Sing Se to live full time. The last two, he seems angry, and he's asking her about Aang, and why doesn't she step in? He talks about the colonies in the Earth Kingdom, and someplace called Republic City, which apparently is in a place The United Republic, which she had never heard of before.

As she reads, she asks him questions freely. To her surprise, he doesn't seem to mind her taking him away from his work. He takes his time to answer every question carefully and fully. He doesn't spare any details. This goes on so long, he has a servant bring them small tables with lunch set out on them. They continue chatting over the meal. She first asks why he spoke to her in such a manner, and he goes on to admit, somewhat sadly, that he had honestly viewed her as a friend after everything that had happened. He had thought that them, as well as the rest of the Gaang, were going to be good friends for the long run, and spend a lot of time together. He had thought that the Gaang was finally going to travel the Fire Nation as guests, instead of in hiding.

He tells her about how his Uncle had always seemed to take a sort of liking to her and figured he'd tell her a bit about him. Katara smiles at the way Zuko speaks about his Uncle, with such love and admiration. She can't help but think that he included so much about his uncle because he just wanted to talk about him to someone, and it just happened to fall into her letters. She doesn't mind, reading about Iroh is actually pretty interesting, and she noticed that he always been kind to her, as well as everyone else in the Gaang. She genuinely hopes to be able to spend time with him in person one day.

Katara asks about why he had spoken to her about Mai. Zuko gets quiet for a moment and then he's honest with her. Mai had been his first love, and he had been sad and upset when he realized that things weren't going to work about between the two of them. He wasn't close with Azula, and Ty Lee had gone off with the Kyoshi Warriors, so other than Toph, who didn't really seem to be the type to care about relationships like this, it left Katara to go to for advice. Katara was the only one he felt like he could ask to get a girl's point of view on the subject. He tells her that he had tried to send a couple of letters to Ty Lee about his relationship with Mai, considering she was good personal friends with her, but she always spoke good vibes and auras, and other things he didn't understand, so those letters had come to a halt real quick. Katara laughs at him about this, which he responds to with a pout.

The sun has set and it's dark by the time they get on to the next subject. She gets upset when she asks him about Azula. She cries, as she remembers the scrolls she had received from Hiko, pleading for her to come to help Jong Shoi, only for her to never to respond. She can tell that Zuko had tried hard to hide it, but she can feel the desperation through his words. He had been really concerned about his sister's wellbeing, and he was trying to get all the information he could about what powers those with healing abilities possessed. In the scroll, Zuko even refers back to the spirit water Katara had once offered to heal his scar with. She can't believe he had remembered it after all these years, but that just shows her how badly he wanted help for Azula. Katara doesn't ask much about this part of the scroll, it hurts the both of them too much.

When it comes to last two scrolls, the both of them talk well into the night. She asks about the colonies, this place called Republic City, and the United Nations. Zuko goes on to explain to her that some of the colonies have left both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom to become their own entity, a new nation. It's not large, yet, but he tells her that Republic City is really on the course to become a sight to see. Apparently, it's one of, if not the, fastest growing city in the world. He tells her that each member of the Gaang has a had a part in it. Sokka, alongside Suki, has really gotten into politics, and Sokka has played a major role in the political ladders in Republic City. Toph has set up one of her metal bending schools there, and from what he has heard, she has plans to start some kind of police force there soon. Aang and Zuko are the two who compromised on the colonies and opened the doors for the idea of a new nation. Everyone in the Gaang, aside from Katara, has already played a part in its development.

"Buy why would he keep these from me?" She asks sadly, as she holds the bundle on her lap.

Zuko holds his chin in the palm of his hand, his elbow propped up on his desk. "I have no idea," He says, his words slow with exhaustion.

"I just don't understand it." She sighs.

"You need to speak with him." He mumbles.

Katara looks up at him and sees that his eyes are closed, and he's swaying back and forth, nodding off every now and then. "You need to go to sleep, Mr. Fire Lord." She teases, as she gets up and carefully puts the scrolls back in their place.

Zuko cracks a golden eye open. "So do you," He slowly stands. "You have a big day tomorrow."

Katara smiles and blushes a little, as she remembers how sweet Zuko had been to have things imported from the Water Tribes for her, and of course how nice it was to have him invite her to his home as an honored guest, and hold an entire gala for her, and name a holiday for healers in honor of her. Her mind is running wild, she really does need to get to sleep.

"You're right," She admits with a sigh of defeat. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Zuko." She makes her way out of his office, with him not far behind.

He gently closes and locks the door behind him. "Goodnight, Katara." They give each other a small wave before they part ways.

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 **A/N:** Be sure to leave a review and let me know what you're thinking! Every review, follow, and favorite is very much appreciated! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	11. Chapter 11

**Finding Home**

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The next morning, Katara is woken up by a knock on her door. She lets out a groan, in an attempt to shoo whoever it was behind the door away, but they continue to knock. Katara slowly sits up and notices little rays of light coming in through her window. It must be very early in the morning, because her room is usually totally illuminated when she gets up, and it's still cool from the lower temperatures the nights bring.

Katara slowly peels away her cocoon of warmth that was her covers, and she drags her feet over to the door. She catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she passes her dresser. She must have slept very hard after having gone to sleep so late, because her bun is now loose and drooping, and she looks like she has a mane with how many stray strands of hair are sticking out around her face. She sways a bit as she stands at the door, her eyes so heavy she keeps them closed as she reluctantly begins to slowly open the door. She cracks an eye open to see a servant girl standing behind the threshold.

"Good morning, Master Katara!" She says in a sing-song voice. It's the same girl who had brought her the pass she needed to get through the palace.

"Mm?" Katara manages to groan out.

"Are you ready to begin preparing for your gala?"

Oh yeah, that's today, she remembers. What time was it going to be held? Was it really necessary that she got up this early? Katara merely lifts a finger, silently telling the girl to wait a moment as she goes and retrieves her pass, which she makes sure to always place on the corner of her dresser so she doesn't lose it.

Katara absentmindedly follows the girl out and into the halls, not even realizing that she's still wearing her night slip. She hadn't even put a robe on beforehand. She does notice the few traveling guards they pass through the halls all looks away, towards the windows as she walks by. This isn't enough to make her question anything, in fact, she still doesn't notice it until the lady servant who stood in front of the doors to the dining hall said something.

"Oh, my!" She gasps, covering her mouth with her fingertips after catching sight of the indecently dressed waterbender. "Young lady, what on earth are you wearing to breakfast?" Katara looks down and finally sees that she's still in her champagne colored silk night dress. It has a v-cut neck, and the straps are nothing but thin strands of silk on her shoulders. Katara's face begins to go red as she gets embarrassed, realizing she had just walked down the halls and passed multiple people on the way down to the dining hall. "You think you can sit next to the Fire Lord like that?" The servant scolds.

"No, I-" Katara tries to defend herself and explain that she had only just woken up, but the woman holds up a hand and shakes her head.

"Fetch her a proper robe at once!" She barks at the younger servant.

"Yes, ma'am." She gives her superior a bow before scurrying off.

"Stand behind me so those men can stop gawking at you." Says the older servant, as she pulls Katara around her to stand between her and the wall. She must have been speaking about the guards stationed on the walls across from the dining room doors because as Katara hides, she sees them advert their eyes from her direction to straight ahead.

It takes quite a few minutes before the younger servant comes back with robe in hand. The older woman turns towards Katara and quickly robes her before she extends one arm to press the door open as she uses the other to begin gently pushing Katara into the room.

"Oh, and fix your hair!" She yanks Katara back for a moment to gather the loose strands of hair and twist them up, before she grabs a pin from her pocket and jabs it into her hair, securing the hair to the back of her head before she finally shoves Katara into the room. Katara stumbles a bit before she stands straight and looks around. The head of the table was cleared, a few servants disappearing behind the back doors to the dining room.

She lets out a scoff before she calls through the front doors. "Zuko isn't even here!"

The lady pokes her head through the door and says, "Well, he could have been!" She sneers.

"Why does it matter!?" Katara argues.

"You should do your best to always look presentable for our Fire Lord!" Katara opens her mouth to say something back, but before she can, she watches as the servant's expression softens, and a small smile appears on her face. "A lovely young lady like you could catch his eye." And with a wink, she leans back behind the door and closes it, ending the conversation.

This confuses Katara a lot, and she stands there a bit, bewildered before she makes her way over to the table and takes a seat. She can't help but wonder what the servant had meant by that. Zuko was involved with Poppy after all, why would she say what she did? Why would she want Katara to catch Zuko's eye? Katara shakes her head dismissively at the thought of her and Zuko becoming a pair.

Then, she lets out a small laugh. She remembers how Poppy had acted when she had met her, and she didn't seem to be the nicest girl out there. This lady and Poppy had probably crossed paths at some point, and the servant probably didn't appreciate her rudeness, and now rooted for Zuko to find another woman to be with. Thinking about it, Katara can't blame her.

Katara eats slowly, she takes the time to mull over things. She regrets it, though, as she can feel the anxiety welling up in her stomach, making her feel sick. She thinks about what had just happened, the way she had walked through the halls wearing her night clothes. What would those who saw her think? What would those who heard about it think? What would Zuko think, when he heard? What if word spread to Kaine? She rolls her eyes a bit after thinking the last couple of parts. She hadn't walked around nude, was it really that big of a deal? Then she remembers that she's in the Fire Nation palace, and things were all about being correct here.

She lets out a sigh at the thought of being correct. She remembers what Toph had said all those years ago, about how she had learned proper society behavior, and she wonders if people will be put-off by her not knowing much about it. Would the Noblemen and women turn up their noses at her here, as they had done in the Earth Kingdom? Katara always tried her best to be as polite as she could, but it had never seemed to matter. Where ever she went, people had seemed to find something she did or said and took offense to it. Then, they would think less of her, ignore her, shun her, even.

If she didn't stand correctly, bow deep or long enough, greet people correctly, eat appropriately, walk properly, breath correctly people would treat her differently. But how was she supposed to know all the hidden rules and regulations each town seemed to have. Each of them was always a bit different, too. She can't help but wonder, what was she bound to do wrong here, in the Fire Nation? How was she destined to embarrass herself at her own gala?

She plays with the food in her place, piling up the rice only to mash it down as flat as she could with her chopsticks, before she repeated the process over and over again. Part of her wants to get up and leave now. Not just the room, not just the Palace, but Caldera as a whole. She wants to go back to Jong Shoi, where none of this mattered. There, no one cared when she had walked around with mud covering the bottom of her pants, or if her hair was a mess, or if she looked incredibly tired. She could go right to Hiko's office, without needing some stupid documentation that gave her access. She hadn't been held in a single room until she was given the proper permits. She had been welcomed there, without having to abide by any terms or conditions.

Now, she's feeling like she doesn't want to go to the gala at all. She wants to crawl back into her bed after closing the curtains and lay alone in the dark. She wanted to go and hide and keep away from all the judgment she was sure to face within the next few hours. She couldn't handle this, she didn't want to handle this feeling, this situation she was about to be put in. She had enough of this in the past eight years, she had left Aang to get away from this, and now here she was, putting herself into this situation.

She wants to cry, but the sound of a man's voice rips her from her thought. "Are you not enjoying your meal, Master Katara?" One of the servants asks.

Katara looks up at him before back down towards her plate, realizing she has hardly eaten anything. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I was just... thinking."

"No need to apologize, my Lady. But, I must inform you that we need to begin clearing the table, as we're about to begin serving lunch."

Katara lets out a little gasp. Lunch!? Had she sat there playing with her food for that long? She couldn't believe it. "Sorry, I'll leave now." She says, giving him a small nod before she gets up and makes her way towards the door. As she steps out of the room, she is greeted by the same young servant she was with earlier. Katara must have startled her, because she does a little jump as she comes to halt before she gives Katara a deep bow.

"Master Katara! I've been looking all over you!" She exclaims as she stands up straight. "I thought you had gone back to your room, but you were here the whole time?" Katara nods. "Well, I've been told to escort you to the spa, to begin getting you ready for tonight."

The fluttering butterflies in Katara's stomach seem to enlarge in size, as her anxiety begins to go through the roof. She looks around as if there was something or someone nearby that would get her out of this. She hopes for a servant to come running down the halls, with a message from Hiko, calling her back to Jang Hui, but there is only her, the servant, and the guards in the hall. There is no way out of this.

"Alright." She sighs, as she follows the young lady down the halls. It won't be too bad, she tells herself. She thinks about how she had thought this trip was going to go originally, compared to how it really has gone. So far, she had been having a really great time, so why would the gala be any different, she asked herself. Just go, and try to have fun, get it over with, she thinks.

The spa was a luxurious area in the palace she felt as she walked through. Skylights bring in plenty of warmth and light, whilst also keeping the rooms private, as there are no windows on the walls. The walls are red, black, and gold, adorned with lovely designs and murals. The young servant leads Katara to one of the back rooms, where the wall is covered in a mirror, lined with a counter, with multiple chairs placed along its length. Katara picks a random one, and she sits for just a moment before a small group of women emerges through the back doors. At first, they startle Katara and make in incredibly nervous, as they all crowd around her.

"You're so pretty in person!" One of them exclaims. "I've only seen paintings of you!"

"Your hair is so soft!" Says another, as she begins taking Katara hair out of the bun.

"And your eyes are so pretty!" A girl says as she puts her face right in front of Katara's, staring into her eyes. "Oh!" She says as she stands up straight. "I wish my eyes were blue!"

"Me too! And I wish I wasn't so pale! Your skin tone is so gorgeous!" The first one says as she holds her arm next to Katara's comparing the color of their skin side by side.

"Ladies!" A stern voice calls out. An older woman comes out from the door, and the girls immediately turn to face her before they all give her a small bow.

"Greetings, Lady Lin." They all say simultaneously.

"Is this how we treat our guests? Swarming them and picking at them?" She asks, appalled by their actions.

"No, Lady Lin."

"You all should be ashamed, acting so impulsively! Where are your manners?"

"We're sorry, Master Katara!" The girls say as they turn towards her.

"Forgive me for being so rude!" One of them says.

"Me too!"

Katara holds up a hand and shakes her head. "No, no, it's fine really!" She says, a bit flustered at how they all had doted on her. She wonders if they really thought she was pretty, or if it was just an act to make her feel good about herself. They had all seemed genuine, but she's just not sure.

Lady Lin rounds them up and gives them orders, designating each of them to a certain task. One of them is to do her hair, the other her makeup, and another is to help her get dressed.

"What will you be wearing?" Lin asks. "Have you picked something out already?'

Katara nods. "Yes, I have a dress ready... but it's in my room!" Katara begins to get up out of the chair, but she is quickly shoved back down by the girl fixing her hair.

"Zalia is fetching it for you," Lin says, as she motioned towards the door, where the young servant from earlier is already scurrying towards. "Relax, Katara. You don't have to worry about anything." Lin gives her a soft, reassuring smile. "Here," She says, as she holds out her hand. "Let me do your nails."

The girls are all so gentle with her as they fix her up. Katara is finally able to lean back in her chair a bit and allow her muscles to relax. Her nerves calm down as well, and her anxiety seems to melt away. One of the girls washes her hair, gently combing out any and all tangles as another girl puts on a different series of masks on her face. One of the masks has sugar in it and exfoliates her skin, another soothes it, and the last tightens it. Her nails go from crooked and chipped to polished and rounded, all at the same length.

"Wow," Katara breathes out as she looks at herself in the mirror. Her skin is soft and glowing, and her hair is so long, as the wet strands cascade over her shoulders.

"How would you like your hair and makeup done?" Lin asks.

Katara takes a moment to think about. She doesn't want her hair up for this, she's beginning to get bored of her hair up in a bun all the time. She might only change it for a night, but she knows she wants to do something different, to make it a little more special. She remembers how she had done her hair when she was younger, dressed in disguise as her and the Gaang traveled around the Fire Nation in secret. She decides she wants something similar to that, but not exactly.

They settle on putting her hair half up and half down, with a small topknot at the crown of her head, as she had done before. Instead of pulling two sections to the front as she had done in the past, they straighten her hair. The girl puts her hands together, Katara's hair in the middle, and she heats her hands up as she runs them down the length of her hair, flattening out the waves and curls. Katara has never seen her hair like this before, and while she does like it, she misses her curls a bit, and she twirls the ends around her finger. The girl who had done her hair must notice this, because she takes her hair and curls just the ends around her fingers, leaving small ringlets at the bottom. The two girls look at each other and nod, both happy with the end result.

Katara doesn't put much makeup on her face. Only a powder to even out her skin tone, and some black sort of paint on her lashes to make them darker and longer. While this was a special occasion, it was for her, and she didn't want to act like someone she wasn't. This little bit of simple makeup was perfect for her.

The light from the skylights has begun to fade, and Katara can tell that it's nearing sundown, the time she was to arrive at the coronation plaza, where her gala was being held. Zalia has long since returned with her dress and shoes, and now it was finally time for Katara to put it on. All the girls gasp once they finally see her in it, and Lady Lin smiles with pride. The dress fits her nearly perfectly. If she hadn't allowed herself to get so skinny, it would hug her in all the right places, showing off her curves. Instead, it hangs a bit loosely on her, but because of the light, airy chiffon fabric on the bottom, it makes the dress seem to flow and flutter a bit more as she walks. Her gold shoes have been cleaned and polished, and it matches the gold bracelets and armbands the girls have given her to accessorize. They place a ribbon with a small, gold Fire Nation insignia charm adorned onto it around her topknot, completing the outfit.

"Oh, Katara," She breathes. "You are so lovely. We are all so honored to have been the ones to prepare you for tonight." Lin bows and the girls follow suit, giving Katara a curtsy.

Katara smiles at them and shakes her head. "No, no, thank you! I appreciate all your kind words and everything you have done for me."

Lin walks over to her and places her hands on her shoulders. "You go on now, and have fun." She smiles. Katara nods and smiles back, ready to go and have a great night.

* * *

 **A/N:** Be sure to leave a review and let me know what you're thinking! Every review, follow, and favorite is very much appreciated! Also big thanks to ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!


	12. Chapter 12

**Finding Home**

* * *

A set of guards come in and escort Katara to the front of the palace, where a palanquin waits for her. The trip is short but seems long, as her anxiety begins to well up a bit. She tries to not think about it, and she steps out of her palanquin and is immediately taken away by the sight. As she looks around, she brings her hand up, covering her mouth as she takes in the view. The plaza has been decorated beautifully, little strings of lanterns go from post to post, ornaments and statues from the Water Tribes line the walkways. The Fire Nation and Water Tribe decors mix in a perfect harmony. The blues, whites, reds, and golds all complementing each other. Fountains have been placed around the plaza, one on either side and one in middle. Tears well up in her eyes, she is so incredibly grateful for Zuko doing this for her. He could have easily adorned everything in common Fire Nation decor, things he already had on hand, but he took the time, money, and energy to have things imported for the Water Tribes. It shows the unity between the two nations, signifies their personal friendship, and makes her feel so warm and welcomed.

As she walks around, she is pleased to see that a lot of the people attending have more blues and whites than their regular reds and blacks, though some typical Fire Nation attire still speckles the crowd. People are dressing in Water Tribe fashions as well as they can, given the two vastly different climates. A lot of the clothes must be from places like Ty Lats boutique she reasons because plenty of the outfits are in Water Tribe colors, but Fire Nation styles, or the other way around. Not too many outfits look like they have been imported straight from the Water Tribes, but there are a couple. It's shocking to see Fire Nation noblemen and women dressed in this sort of attire, but she couldn't be happier to see them embrace parts of her culture.

Among the people, she spots Poppy, and she stops in her tracks at the sight of her. She is dressed in a fitted kimono that stops below her knee. It's red with gold detailing, designs of flowers and dragons adorning the fabric. The dress hugs her in all the right places, showing off her lovely curves. Her long, black hair is in curls that cascade down over her shoulder, little gold flowers and single petals made of metal have been placed upon her hair, gleaming as they catch the light. Her lips are painted a deep red, and her skin is flawless. Poppy is surely the most stunning lady here tonight, Katara figures.

As she gazes over towards Poppy, she begins to feel incredibly insecure. Here she was, with her hair in a different style than she had ever had it before, in a dress she had never worn before, and in a nation with a culture entirely different than her own. The girls had swooned over in the spa, but had they really been genuine? Kaine had called her beautiful, but had he only said it to be polite? He had said that Zuko had once said she was beautiful, but had Zuko even every really said it in the first place? She begins to want to leave, but she remains still as she watches Poppy turn to face a man approaching her. It's Kaine, and they speak for a moment. Katara then begins to make her way over to them, just catching the last part of their conversation.

"- and might I add," Kaine purrs. "You're looking absolutely lovely tonight, Poppy." He leans towards her, smirking as he gets into her personal space.

Poppy scoffs and rolls her eyes as she pushes Kaine away from her. "Tell me something I don't know." She growls, and turns away from him, walking into the sea of people. Before Katara can greet either of them, out of the corner of her eye she spots Zuko among the crowd. She turns to face him, and their eyes meet. He's staring at her intensely.

"Zuko!" She calls out, greeting him with a wave. Her smile fades, as the sort of shocked expression on his face turns into a wistful frown, as he turns and walks away from her without a word. "Zuko?" She says softly, leaving him unable to hear her. Why had he looked at her like that? What had she done wrong? Just as she is about to go after him, she feels an arm wrap around her waist.

"Don't worry about him," It's Kaine. Katara looks up at him over her shoulder. "He's probably just jealous that you're with me tonight, instead of him." He chuckles.

Katara turns towards him. "Why would he be? He's with Poppy." She nods back, motioning over her shoulder. "She's gorgeous." She looks away from him for a moment, mumbling the last part before she looks back up at him.

"Well, while that is true," Kaine gives her a grin as he looks down at her, his hazel eyes piercing into her blue ones. "Poppy is a slut and he knows it, he's just too much of a chump to end things with her." Her eyes widen and her jaw drops as she lets out a gasp at his words. She doesn't even say anything to him, she just turns and walks away, slipping into the crowd, ignoring him as he calls after her.

Music begins to play and people start to dance. Before she knows it, she's hand in hand with some guy, and he speaks to her, even though she's still in a daze, shocked by what Kaine had said. She doesn't understand what had prompted him to say something like that. Why would he say something like that, about his Fire Lord and Lady? He had just insulted them both terribly. She also doesn't know if she should take him seriously or not. Maybe it was some kind of friendly banter between the three, an inside joke she didn't get. But it wasn't funny, there was no way anyone would think that was funny, she thinks. She felt like it was incredibly rude and out of line for him to say something like that.

She is still deep in thought as the guy she's dancing with twirls her around and passes her on to whoever is closest, as it was time for a partner change. Her eyes widen she realizes that it's Zuko who has caught her. She hadn't noticed that they had been dancing so close together at first. He has all his hair pulled up into a bun, instead of leaving half up and half down, she hadn't realized it was him.

"Zuko!" She cries out, startled by him.

"Katara," He greets, as he takes her hands in his, gently leading the dance.

"Zuko," Katara looks down towards the ground and watches their feet for a moment before she looks back up at him. "I'm sorry, for whatever I did." She says sadly, unsure of how he was feeling at the moment.

He shakes his head. "Don't be Katara, you didn't do anything." He says this softly, reassuring her that she had done nothing wrong.

"Then why did you look at me like that?" There is hurt and confusion in her eyes as she looks at him.

"It was nothing. I'm sorry for how I acted," He says it genuinely, before he continues quickly, "You look beautiful tonight." Katara looks away, in an attempt to hide her blush. She did not expect that from Zuko at all, and she's really surprised that he seems to mean it. "That dress is lovely." He adds.

"Thank you," She says softly, as she slowly looks up towards him. "You're looking very handsome yourself."

They both give each other a small smile before Zuko spins her around quickly and has her face away from her, her back towards his chest. "I think it's time for the speech!" He calls out, and the music comes to a stop, and people slowly quite down as the two of them make their up the stairs, to the podium that has been placed where new Fire Lords are typically crowned.

"Tonight, we honor a great friend of mine!" He calls out. "Katara, daughter of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. Mentor to the Avatar, and great healer of many people! Including our own!" People cheer for her at this part. Zuko goes on to explain that she had once traveled the Fire Nation in disguise and helped give the small, run-down village of Jang Hui a new take on life. She healed countless people during and after the war, and she had returned to the Fire Nation to do it once again, and bring life to the once lost village of Jong Shoi. People cheer again. "The Fire Nation will forever be in debt to Katara, and we will always honor her and the things she's done for us."

Katara can't help but cry a little bit at the way the crowd cheers for her, and for the kind words, Zuko said about her. He said that she had been a friend to him, and helped him through a hard time. He had said that she was the greatest waterbender on earth, one of the greatest fighters, that she was a beauty from the Southern Water Tribe, she blushes at this part. He then went on and explained to the people gathered what she had done in Jang Hui and Jong Shoi, his story bringing some to tears, and some called out her name, thanked her, and even bowed to her without even being prompted to do so. Zuko felt as though the Fire Nation would always owe her something, and she felt like she didn't deserve it.

She felt as though she had let both Hiko and Zuko down and by extension the entire Fire Nation. She had left with Aang when the war ended, and she had left the Fire Nation on the back burner, though she knows that many villages had needed her aid, as Jong Shoi had. And she had ignored those scrolls for so long, and the entire village had been lost. Everyone had died there because she had not answered the scrolls.

She thinks about Zuko, and how he had personally asked for her help with Azula. Those scrolls had been intercepted, but maybe if she hadn't so blindly followed Aang for all those years, she and Zuko could have been closer, and she would have known something was wrong when there had been no messages. She would have caught onto Aang sooner, and maybe she would have been able to help Azula. In her mind, she hadn't done much here, in the Fire Nation. She felt like Zuko was lying to his people.

She thanks Zuko for his kind words and the crowd for their actions, and then the music starts to play and the celebration begins again. As she begins to make her way down the steps, a small, blue light catches her eye. She pauses and looks at it again. It lights up again, between some people in the crowd. She can't believe it, it couldn't be. She quickly makes her way down the steps and pushes through the crowd, trying her best to keep her eye on the little orb of light. It leads her to one of the fountains on the far side of the plaza, away from the crowd. Just before she can catch it, it dips down into the water. She lets out a huff before she shakes her head. She doesn't understand.

"Hiro!" She calls out before she leans over the edge of the fountain and looks down into the water. Her heart skips a beat and she lets out a gasp, as she sees the face of the Painted Lady looking back at her.

"You deserve this, every bit of this, my lovely little waterbender." Katara slowly shakes her head.

"What are you doing here?" Katara is stunned, and her words are barely above a whisper.

Katara watches as the lady seems to seep up out of the water and stand before her, as a fog begins to thicken in the air around them. Katara stays completely still as the spirit reaches out and places her hand on her shoulder.

"You must live up to the mark you earned yourself so many years ago," She begins, and Katara is even more confused. What mark? "You must be brave."

"I don't understand," Katara admits, and she reaches out towards the Painted Lady as she begins to fade away, the fog she had lifted around them begins to disperse.

"Be brave, Katara." She says,

"Katara!" Katara wipes around and sees Kaine standing behind her. "Are you alright?" He asks, and she looks around, the air around them crisp and clear. She holds a small bit of water above her palm. She must have been mindlessly waterbending during the vision. "Why are you out here all alone?" She drops the water into the fountain and scrunches up her face at Kaine. She stands and pushes past him, and she begins making her way back to the celebration. "Wait!" He calls after her. She stops for a moment, thinking if she should listen to him or not, before she decides to continue on, and slips into the crowd yet again.

She tries to have fun the rest of the night. She eats the food from the tables, a lot of it was actual dishes from the Water Tribes. None of the ingredients were replaced with things from the Fire Nation or anything. She actually stuffs her face a bit, especially with some of the pastries. They were almost as good as the ones her Gran Gran used to make.

She dances with a few people, and she even has a few girls who stay around her and talk. They giggle about the handsome Generals and Admirals who are attending, they compliment her on her hair, and they talk about how they should all go get tea together sometime. Katara tells them sadly that she'll be leaving soon, and they all pout a little bit before they say that it was great to meet her, and that's when Katara decides it's time to head back to her room to start packing.

She takes her clothes from the drawers, and she wonders why she even put them on the dresser instead of leaving them in her bag. She is just finishing putting a small pile into her bag when there's a knock on the wall by her door, as she had left it open. She turns and sees Kaine standing in the doorway.

"Katara," He greets softly.

"Kaine," She sneers at him, shooting him a dirty look. She takes a moment and makes him wait, before she does a single nod, silently allowing him to enter. She realizes she had been mean earlier, and she hadn't even taken a moment to allow him to explain himself.

He takes a few steps in and stops in front her dresser, a few feet away from the side of her bed, where she sits. He places his hands behind his back. "I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier." He admits.

"I don't understand why you would say something like that." She crosses her arms over her chest. He needs to do better than that if he wanted to be forgiven.

He lets out a sigh and hangs his head for a moment before he stands up straight and faces her. "There is no excuse, but you must understand that I've been in the military for a very long time. The war may be over, but some habits stick with you. Being in the military can really mess up your social skills, and take a toll on your vocabulary. I'm incredibly sorry for using that sort of language in your presence, and for offending you." He pauses for a moment, and he looks at her with sincerity in his eyes. "I will do my absolute best to never offend you in such a way again. I apologize, really."

She keeps her arms crossed as she stands and makes her way over to him. "Why would you say something like that?" She scolds.

Kaine's shoulders drop, and a guilty expression comes across his face. "It was meant to be a joke, but I understand now that it was completely out of line, and not funny at all."

She smiles at him weakly. He seemed incredibly upset that he had offended her, and she had never really had anyone ever apologize to her in such a manner. If the three of them all knew each other on a personal level and could joke with each other like that openly, was it really a bit deal? She knows that Poppy and Zuko are in a relationship, and Poppy and Kaine seem to have some sort of friendly banter between each other. She wasn't sure how close the three of them were, and if they had that sort of humor, who was she to judge? And on a night like tonight, was she really about to end it on a bad note after something small? A statement that hadn't even been directed to her, or someone she knew well? She thinks again that, for all she knew, it could have been an inside joke she just didn't get. She looks at him, and can't help but feel bad for having ignored him earlier.

"Alright." She says as she kicks at some imaginary dirt on the ground. Why did he have to be so cute, as he looked at her with puppy polar bear-dog eyes?

He smiles back and gently places a hand on her hip, pulling her towards him a bit. "So, you forgive me?" He purrs.

She nods. How could she not forgive him, after he apologized looking like that? She allows him to pull her close, and she rests her cheek on his shoulder. She feels bad about not spending the night with him instead of those random people. She wishes she would have danced with him, instead of that one guy she didn't even know, and Zuko. She leans back a bit and finally gets to look at him in his mess dress, instead of his service uniform. A fitted, streamline uniform with blacks and golds, a cape with a high collar around his neck and over his shoulders. He looks incredibly handsome, and she can't deny him when he leans down to kiss her.

It's a small, quick kiss, and she pulls away first. "I'm sorry for ignoring you." She admits softly.

Kaine still holds her close as he gazes into her eyes. "I'm sorry for forgetting where I was, who I was with, and for what I said." He cups her cheek into his palm and takes her into another kiss.

They kiss standing for a while, and then she sits on the bed, and he presses her down further, into the mattress as he puts an arm on either side of her to hold himself above her. Their kiss deepens over time, and she bites his lip, him humming a bit in response.

Kaine grabs a bundle of her soft hair into his hand and kisses her hard before he pulls away. "You're gorgeous, Katara." He breathes out before he kisses her again.

She smiles against his lips, and she removes his cape and begins unbuttoning his shirt. He leaves her lips and leaves a trail of kisses down to her jaw, then he moves to the spot below her ear, where he kisses her enough to leave a mark the next day. Before they know it, his shirt is off as well as her dress, and they're rolling around on the bed as they make out, the two of them trying to be in charge.

Katara shakes a bit at the sound of a thud, but Kaine doesn't stop kissing her to let her see what it was. It must have been her bag, falling off the side of the bed. She pulls her lips away from his, forcing him to bring his focus back to her neck as she turns her face away from his. She had just been packing her bags to leave. She remembers that she wasn't meant to stay here long. Kaine did have his quirks, he rubbed her the wrong way at the time, but she like spending time with him. He was very handsome, and she really wanted to get to know him on a personal level. He's very attractive, and her body was more than ready to continue with him, but her heart and mind was not.

She pushes on him a bit, his lips leaving her skin with a 'smack'. "Kaine," She says softly.

"Hm?" He hums, as he leans in for a kiss on the lips.

She turns her face away from him again. "I'm supposed to leave soon," She admits sadly. "I don't want to start something with you only to have it end tomorrow." She says, looking at him in the eye.

He kisses her quickly. "That's okay," He breathes. "It doesn't have to mean anything." He says before he begins kissing her again.

Katara lifts a brow and keeps her lips still against his, "Um..." She says, causing him to pause. "What!?" She asks, pushing him away from her.

Kaine leans back so he can sit on the bed, as she uses her arms to prop herself up so she looks at him while she still lays down. He shakes his head and shrugs. "It doesn't have to mean anything." He repeats.

Katara tilts her head to the side. "What doesn't have to mean anything?"

"This, tonight."

Her jaw drops a bit as she shakes her head in disbelieve. "So, if we do something together tonight, it wouldn't mean anything to you!?"

"If you don't want it to, no." He says flatly.

"So, is that what I am to you, Kaine? Nothing? I mean nothing to you? The dates we've gone on?" She gets up out of the bed and stands at the side, crossing her arms over her chest. He follows suit and gets out of the bed, standing before her.

"That's not what I'm saying,"

Katara holds up a hand, silencing him. "I don't think this is going to work, Kaine."

Without another word, Kaine puts on his shirt and cape before he turns his back towards her, and he makes his way out of her room, closing the door behind him. Katara lets out a huff as she flings herself back down onto her bed.

She sits there for a bit, thinking about what just happened. All this time she had thought Kaine had really liked her, but now she's thinking that he just wanted a girl on his arm, and in his bed. Zuko had been right, Kaine wasn't a good man when it came to women. Was this what he did? Did he get the strings of girls in order to get them to like him, even though he never really liked them back? Is this why the girls seemed to just leave him because he eventually would show his true colors? She feels so silly, stupid even, having fallen for it. It was like a repeat of Jet, and she felt like such a fool for acting like a fourteen-year-old again.

She had let him woo her so quickly, and she felt so foolish for allowing it. She doesn't understand why at first, but the more she thinks about it, she realizes just how truly lonely she's been since she left Aang. She had friends back in Jong Shoi, but no one to hold hands with, or to cuddle with, no one to spend nights with. She had been with Aang for years, and she realizes that she missed that sort of companionship.

Katara decides now to ignore these feelings, these wants and put her guard up, and to not let any other man get the better of her like that again. She wouldn't allow some guy to come into her life and play with her emotions. She figures that she won't speak to Kaine for a bit, and then she figures that it won't matter because she is going to leave as soon as she can. She really can't wait to go back to Jong Shoi now, and she decides that tomorrow, she will visit the spa to have her hair put back up in a bun, then she'll finish packing, and then she will finally leave. She smiles a bit at thought of going back to her little house in Jong Shoi, and she finally falls asleep.

In the morning, she goes straight down to the spa, to have her hair put back up into a bun. When she gets there, she's greeted once again by the same girls and Lady Lin.

"Good morning, Katara." The older woman greets with a smile. Her smile fades, though, as Katara plops down into a chair with a huff. "What's wrong, dear?" She asks, gently placing a hand on the young waterbenders shoulder.

Katara shakes her head. "Last night was... weird." She admits sadly.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Lin asks.

A small smile comes to Katara. It had been so long since she had a female she could go to for things like this. To talk with, and vent to. She was sure that with Lady Lins age, she had great wisdom, and she was kind to offer her ear to Katara.

"I ended things with Kaine," She starts slow, not really knowing where to begin.

"Grand General Kaine?" One of the other girls asks, her brow raised high.

Katara looks over to her as another girl begins brushing through her hair. "Yeah, why?"

The younger girl's eyes all dart between one another before the girl finally continues with a light, airy scoff. "Well, why'd you even start anything with him in the first place?"

The girl behind Katara doing her hair does a little laugh, before she chimes in. "You stay away from rat-dogs like him, Katara. You're way too good for him!"

"Yeah, and way too pretty!" Another adds, and the girls laugh for a moment. "Hey! Didn't you have a thing with him, one time?" She asks the hairdresser.

The older girl pauses brushing through Katara's hair for a moment, as she thinks. "Yeah, and he's so weird once you get to know him!" She shakes her head and goes back to working on Katara's hair. "He has this strange affinity with the past Fire Lords, Ozai in particular."

"He's one of his guards, though, isn't he?" The younger stylist asks.

"Yeah, but he would talk about him too much! Like, okay that's great, but could you shut up for a second and talk about me instead?" The two other stylists laugh at the hairdressers' conceitedness, and she looks over at them as if she has no idea as to what could be so funny.

"Girls, girls!" Lin scolds, silencing them.

Katara lets out a sad sigh. "I don't get it."

"Oh, honey, he's just no good." Says the girl doing her hair." He's a lying, deceiving, little man who finds some sick, twisted joy in breaking lovely girls hearts." She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. "I just don't get how he and Zuko get along so well."

Katara watches in the mirror as one of the other girls comes up to the hairdresser and leans towards her as she uses her hand to cover her mouth. "Yeah, especially considering the whole thing with Poppy." She says through gritted teeth, and they sneer and snicker, thinking Lin hadn't heard it.

"Now, ladies, that is enough!" She reaches out and lightly smacks the other girls upper arm, shooing her away from the hairdresser and waterbender. "Katara," She says softly, turning her attention towards her once again. "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" She asks sweetly, though she had put emphasis on the 'else' as she shot a glare towards the other girls.

"Yeah, something else strange happened last night, with Zuko." She informs.

"Zuko?" The girls all ask in unison.

"When I saw him in the crowd, he had seen me and was staring at me. When I called for him, he gave me a dirty look and then walked away without saying anything to me. Then, later, when I asked him about it, he said it was nothing," Katara looks down and swings her leg, kicking her foot at some imaginary dirt. "It... hurt my feelings, and I don't understand why he did that."

Lin hums, as she thinks about it. The hairdresser and the other girl look at each other and begin asking each other what they thought it could be. Then, the hairdresser shakes her head and shrugs, giving up. "I can't think of anything, you hadn't done anything, and you were dressed appropriately. You looked absolutely stunning. And your hair looked great if I do say so myself!"

The younger girls laugh, while Lin does not. "Oh!" She says, somewhat sadly. "I know what it could have been,"

"What?" Katara asks.

"Your hair,"

"What?" The hairdresser gasps, her jaw dropping.

"I mean... this is a silly idea but..." Lin looks over to the side, as she thinks for a moment. "Princess Ursa used to wear her hair in a very similar fashion, you must have reminded him of her."

"Princess Ursa?" The younger girl and Katara ask in unison. The hairdresser, who is a bit older than the other girls, and Lin both nod.

"Who's she? I thought Zuko only had one sister." The younger stylist asks.

Lin lets out a small laugh. "No, Princess Ursa is Zuko's mother... or, rather, she was." The four girls before Lady Lin all glance over towards each other before they all lean in towards her, ready to hear the story. The smile Lin gets on her face tells that 'story time' must be something that has happened here before, as she looks so amused by the four of them being so eager to listen.

Lin pulls up a chair and sits before the four young ladies. She tells them about how Ursa loved both her children very much, but she really doted on Zuko. He was her shadow, never too far behind her as she made her way through the Palace halls. Zuko looked up at her with admiration, and no one could deny the bond between the two was strong. A mother bear with her little cub. But one day, Zuko's grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, was dead, and his mother, Ursa, had disappeared."

The older girl, the hair stylist then adds on. "And as Azulons 'dying wish'," She says with air quotes. "Ozai took the throne, instead of Lord Iroh."

The other girl lets out a long sigh. "So, what happened that night?"

Lin shrugs and shakes her head. "No one really knows what happened that night. But we do know that little Zuko's heart was broken." She says this with sorrow in her voice, and then she gets serious. "And you must never speak of her in his presence. Her being lost is tormenting for him, and we all know that poor boy has been through enough!"

The three stylists nod, but Katara remains still. Her heart sinks deep down into her chest, and she feels so badly for Zuko she might cry. So, this is what he meant, all those years ago, in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se? She had always wondered and had never gotten the chance to ask him. Now she's glad she hadn't. Her own mother's loss hurt her, but at least she knew where she was, if not alive. Zuko, on the other hand, had no idea if his mother was alive or not. How painful must that be? She wonders. She sits in silence for the remainder of the time, deep in thought. Once the hairdresser is done putting her hair back into a bun, Katara thanks, each of the girls and Lady Lin, and leaves to make her way up to her room. She thinks about things, as she makes her way through the halls. She gets a bit misty eyed, for multiple reasons.

She thinks about the story she heard about Zuko's mother, and she cries a little, as she thinks back to how she had treated him at the Western Air Temple when he had first joined the group. She feels so bad for how mean she had been to him. She thought he had lied, down in the catacombs, but he hadn't. All this time, even after all these years, she still had thought it had been some kind trick to get her to trust him, but it wasn't. It really did happen, the Fire Nation really had taken his mother from him, as they had done to her.

She also thinks about what Zuko had said about Kaine, and what the girls had said, too. Even they knew that he wasn't a good man when it came to women. She furrows her brows as she remembers what Kaine had said about Poppy, he had insinuated that she was loose with men, and then she thinks about what the girls had said, they said something about Kaine and Poppy. Were they going behind Zuko's back together? Was Kaine toying with Poppy as she cheated on Zuko? She also wonders what they had meant when they said he spoke a lot about Ozai, and the younger girl asked about Kaine being Ozai's guard. She doesn't know about any of this, or what it could mean. She tries to not dwell on everything too much, as she makes her way down the halls. It's beginning to give her a headache.

Katara presses the door to her room open and looks at herself in the mirror, and she sees that she's got streaks of the black paint that had been left on her lashes from the night before running down her cheeks from her tears. She seeps some water from the air and cleans her face, before she walks around the bed to where her bag is, on the floor after it had gotten kicked off by Kaine, while the two of them had been making out on the bed.

She snatches it up as she sits down on the bed. "Stupid Kaine." She says, and she begins packing again. "Stupid trip!" She picks up the dress she had been wearing, and she feels like its beauty had gone to waste. She wasn't sure if she would ever get another opportunity to wear something like it. "Stupid me." She says, as she balls it up and shoves it into her bag. She continues mumbling to herself until she hears a knock at the door. She doesn't even get a chance to ask who it is or make her way over to it before it swings open. She's surprised at who's standing at the opening.

"Katara," Zuko calls out her, as he briskly walks over to her. "I need your help."

* * *

 **A/N: thank you all for your reviews! We love hearing what you all have to say and what you're thinking! Thanks for the faves and follows as well!**

 **Hustler - Josef Salvat**

 **Thank you** **ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Finding Home**

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Katara looks up at him, startled by his urgency. He hadn't even taken the time to make sure she was decent before he opened the door, and he walked into her room with haste. She pauses her folding and packing, giving him her full attention as he comes around the bed to stand before her.

"What is it, Zuko?" She asks.

He looks down towards the floor, almost as if he's ashamed to admit what he's about to tell her. He looks back up at her, desperation in his eyes and on his face. "A platoon of men just returned from one of the colonies in the Earth Kingdom. The majority of them are severely wounded." He pauses for a moment and lets out a deep sigh. "The fatality rate would drop dramatically if you go to them for me."

Katara lets out a little gasp as he tells her this. "What happened?"

Zuko lets out a huff, and he looks away from her again, as he turns away from her and motions for her to follow him. He leads her out of her room and into the halls as he speaks to her. "I take a lot of time and effort into making sure my messages to the Colonial Units are clear as day, but for whatever reason, there is more often than not, a battle between them and the Earth Kingdom troops nearby."

"Really?" She asks as she follows him up the stairs.

"Yes, and the Earth King's patience is beginning to wear thin, and I can't blame him. I've given plenty territory back to the Earth Kingdom, and some colonies became part of the United Republic. Some remain, for multiple reasons. They're too far away from the United Republic, the Earth King has no interest in the land, whatever." He pauses, as he reaches into his pocket to fetch the key to his office.

"So, they're in sort of limbo?" Katara enquires, Zuko nods in response.

"But, with there still being all these attacks... I fear another war may be in the near future if we don't sort this out soon." He says sadly, as he takes a seat in his chair behind his desk. He begins shuffling through the papers that are spread across the dark wood, in search of something.

"Why are there attacks? Who's attacking, the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom?"

"That's one of the problems. The only reason those men and women are stationed there is to be kept in rotation, to keep their jobs. I say in all my orders, 'Do not engage in any sort of fight unless in act of defense', so that would mean the only reason this would be happening is because the earth troops attacked first, right?" Katara nods. "Well, all the reports from the Earth kingdom I get back state that my units acted first, which prompted the Earth Military to act in defense, then from my Colonels, I hear that they are the ones who acted in defense." "

"So, there's a serious case of insubordination?" She asks as she takes a seat on the chaise lounge placed before his desk.

Zuko clenches his eyes shut and begins to massage his temples. "I'm afraid it may be more than that," He huffs and picks up a small packet of paper as he looks up towards her. "Listen, I know you want to go back to Jong Shoi, but I really need your help, Katara. I'm afraid my military is beginning to lose faith in me, and I know sending you to heal them would help ease the tension. Please."

"Of course!" She blurts out, instinctively, but she is immediately struck with an immense feeling of anxiety. She had been so close to being to go back to Jong Shoi, where she had been comfortable, and now here she was, readily and willingly volunteering to go to yet another strange place, and stay away even longer.

She was of course, excited to go back to doing what she knew and loved, helping and healing people, but she had begun to miss her old routine. She wanted to go back to her simple little life in Jong Shoi. Surrounded by people she had come to know, she had her own house, her own space to call her own, she could go waterbend with others, and go teach at her medical school, the healing hut, as she liked to call it.

She wonders how long it will take, and what sort of toll it will take on her. Will it be refreshing, getting to go help all those people, or will be incredibly exhausting, to have to travel and be by herself again? Only this time it would be worse, at least here she had Zuko. Even if he wasn't around much, and they hadn't spent a lot of time together, he was familiar, and that alone brought her a sort of comfort.

She thinks about it, and she had planned on avoiding Kaine for a while, and now here was her chance to do it, just in a different way. She didn't have to worry about seeing his stupid face for a little while or hear his stupid name. She wants to roll her eyes at herself, thinking that it's so silly and stupid for her to be dwelling on that little romance they had if that's what anyone would even call it.

Zuko smiles as he extends his arm, handing the packet out for her to take. "Here's a copy of my orders to the Colonial Unit you'll be visiting, you may need it. And I'll issue you a permit of access to the fort. I can send you that way today if that's alright with you?"

Katara gets up out of the lounge a bit, just enough so she can take the packet from him. "Yeah, that's fine. I'm actually already packed." She laughs lightly.

"Great." Zuko stands, followed by Katara. She begins to make her way out of his office when he catches her by the upper arm. "Katara," He says sternly, and she whirls around to face him. "Thank you."

She gives him a smile. "Don't worry about it, Zuko."

Zuko then orders a nearby servant to escort her to the airships, and he gives them all the details they could need. The airship will travel as quickly as it can, and it should reach the fort in Fire Fountain City around dusk, as long as the wind permits. He has someone write her up a pass that states she's a healer issued by Fire Lord Zuko himself, she is granted full access to the fort and is to be treated with the utmost respect. Even the Colonels were to obey her orders, if and when she was to give them.

Katara boards Air Ship Druk Two for the second time, and she stays in the same room as before. She seeps some water from the air as she sits on the side of her bed, bouncing it back and forth from hand to hand. She tries to not get nervous about anything, as she focuses on the mission that lies ahead. It's been a long time since she's been called to heal a whole platoon of soldiers. These types of wounds could vary from bad scratches to broken bones, to very serious internal injuries. Even using the purest water available to her, she had lost a man or two. She had grown since then and learned even more about healing the human body. She was determined to lose no one tonight. She sits on the bed for a while, and then she's called to lunch. She's able to finish her meal without any interruptions until the very end when one of the servants approaches her.

"Master Katara," He greets, and she turns in her chair to face him. "The Helmsman has sent me to inform that, unfortunately, there is going to be a bit of a delay."

"Oh?" She asks, tilting her head a bit.

"Yes, strong wind currents from a storm are slowing the airship. We are now scheduled to reach our destination during the middle of the night. He's deeply sorry for the inconvenience."

Katara shakes her head. "Oh, no, it's fine."

She finishes her meal and for the rest of day she sort of wanders around the airship. She looks at all the statues and displays, wondering if they have any history to them or if they're just for looks. She finds a small bookcase, and picks a random book, taking a seat on one of the tufted benches. It's a book on astronomy, something she's never really been into, but in her boredom, it becomes incredibly interesting. She takes her time reading it, as she's got nothing better to do. She reads about the solar system, the stars and their names, and the constellations they belong to. The Lynx, Draco, The Ursa Major, The Ursa Minor, The Archer, Leo. Before she knows it, the sun has dipped below the horizon. She's ready for bed, and she's not sure if it's because she's genuinely tired, or if she has managed to bore herself to death.

She sinks down into that big, lush bed, with the moonlight coming in from the window, as she has kept her curtains open. She sleeps well that night, aside from an odd dream. It comes to her in a series of flashes. From what she can remember, she could first hear children laughing, then they began crying. She had tossed and turned in the bed, her chest had tightened up, as her body reacted to her dream. She saw stars, like from the book she had read. Then, a silhouette, far away. Finally came a fire.

A servant wakes her up with a series of knocks on the door. Katara makes sure to dress quickly, as she's sure the wounded have waited long enough. She's escorted by a pair of guards, out of the airship and to the fort, then immediately to the infirmary. She's surprised when no one questions her, as she steps into the room, filled with wounded. She figured that someone must have already informed the soldiers of her visiting them.

She wastes no time in ordering the nearest standing soldier to get a bowl of the purest water they had on hand. Preferably spring water, but the cleanest, clearest water they had would do. The cleaner the water, the better and faster the healing process was with waterbending. As soon as the soldier arrives with a bucket of water, she gets to work.

Katara goes to the people in most urgent states first. Men and women who have their ribs crushed by rocks the earth benders had sent crashing into them, bones protruding through their skin, terrible head injuries. She goes from bed to bed, healing as much and as well as she can. One very serious downfall about healing injuries like this was that it really took a toll on her. It always felt like she was ripping apart of her life away and putting it into them, seeping her energy away and giving it to them. It was really exhausting, and she pushes herself so hard she gets a nose bleed.

"Ma'am, I insist you take a break!" One of the younger captains urges her, as he holds a cloth up to her face.

Katara shakes her head and waves him off, "No, I'm going to keep going until every bed filled with someone in critical condition is empty." She barks at him, and she shoves his hand away from her face and wipes her nose with the back of her arm, as she makes her way over to the next wounded soldier.

She doesn't stop, not even to eat or drink until all the beds designated to those in the most serious conditions were void of any bodies. Now what's left is people with bruised bones and other less severe injuries. It's a quick break, she takes just enough time to chug a glass of water and eat a biscuit.

The waterbender continues on, until dusk. By that time, she's got about half of the beds empty. She's satisfied, knowing that these soldier's conditions aren't severe enough that waiting another day could mean life or death for them. Other medics have already been given them medication to help ease their pain, and any of the bones with fractures she hasn't healed yet have been wrapped up and put into temporary splints.

She eats a very light meal quickly before she finds the nearest empty bedroom and collapses down into the bed. She doesn't even notice that the mattress is incredibly thin and full of springs, but barely any padding. After a draining day like this one, to her, it feels like she's on clouds. She falls asleep almost instantly, and her slumber is deep. She has another dream, and this time, she's able to make out a bit more of the visions.

This time, there is no laughter before the crying. She can hear what sounds like two little kids sobbing, and tears run down her own cheeks as she sleeps. She sees the same set of stars, only this time she sees some sort of beam of light drawing lines to and from the other, connecting them in the cosmic abyss. Then, she seems to be having a dream of the vision she had years ago, while in the Foggy Swamp. She sees a silhouette of a woman, with her hair half up and half down, the style Katara had worn her hair at the gala, and Katara runs through the water, towards her. She can hear herself calling out for her mother, as she approaches her, but just as she reaches her, placing her hand on her shoulder, her dream takes her to the final vision in the sequence. It's a fire again, only this time she can see some sort of object burning, though she can't make out what it is.

She wakes up in the middle of the night panting and sweating. She runs a hand over her forehead, wiping away the droplets that have formed there. She turns over onto her side and gazes out the window. She spots the moon in the sky, and a thought comes to her.

"Yue?" She asks quietly, her voice nothing but a whisper. She wonders, was the moon spirit trying to tell her something, as the Painted Lady had? She doesn't understand why Yue would be doing this. The messages seemed weak and jumbled, and Katara just couldn't make sense of them. She's not the Avatar, and she's not exactly as spiritual as a monk, so she figures her spiritual energy just isn't strong enough for her to get strong, clear messages.

She thinks about it, and the Painted Lady had come to her, clear as day in a vision. Maybe it was because they had a stronger, more personal connection. Then, she realizes that the moon is only a little more than half full. Maybe communication was different for Yue, and maybe it would be stronger as the moon became fuller. The Painted Lady was a water spirit, and perhaps all she needed was a body of water to speak with people, while Yue maybe needed more moon power.

Katara lets out a huff. She didn't want to have that dream again. The first part, with the sounds of the kids crying, hurt her too much. She doesn't know why, but she feels like she knows the children. She thinks that maybe, it's the sounds of her and Sokka crying, when they were little, as they sobbed over the loss of their mother. For a moment, she wishes Aang was beside her, so maybe he could translate it. She quickly shoves that thought from her mind, and turns over, to have her back face the window.

The next day, Katara eats a larger breakfast, knowing she'll be needing the energy to finish up the remainder of the wounded soldiers and start on a new batch that had just come in. This time, the ones from the previous day greet her, as they have come to recognize her and realize who she was. She comes to each of them, they thank her for her time and energy. She thanks them back and holds her head low as she tries to hide her blush. She hadn't been given this sort of attention in a long time, and she wasn't used to it.

"Thank you so much for coming here, Katara," Says one of the women, as Katara leans over, healing her bruised ribs. "We all appreciate you so much."

Katara smiles. "I never would have known about this, without Zuko." She says, trying to give him a little more credit. Their conversation and healing session is brought to an abrupt halt, though, as one of the soldiers from a new group of wounded is beginning to get a bit loud.

"Fuck Zuko!" He says as he rips a towel off from his shoulders, slamming it down onto the floor before him as hard as he could. Katara gasps and stands, slowly making her way over to him as he continues to rant. "Always talking about peace and shit and then sending us over to there to attack. It's bullshit!"

"Hey!" Katara calls out, scolding him, but he doesn't even turn to look at her.

"He's a fuckin' liar, man. I'll tell ya, Ozai may have worked us like rat-dogs, but he never lied to us!"

"What is this all about!?" Katara asks as she steps in front of him, demanding his attention.

He glares up at her, and he sucks on the side of his cheek for a moment before he spits out a wad of saliva and blood onto the ground, just before her feet. "You know, I never understood those prudent, insufferable, ignorant little shits of Ozai Loyalists, but now, I think I'm starting to get it." He growls out at her.

Katara's jaw drops, and at first, she's furious with this man, but then she realizes that there must be something going on here, something she knows about. She shakes her head and holds her hands up. "Alright, how about you tell me what happened? Why are you so mad?" She asks softly, as she kneels down before him, careful to not put her knee into the little puddle that is the man's spit.

He glares at her for a moment, and then he begins telling her about how at first, they're all told that they're put in rotation to keep their jobs. They just sort of patrol the borders or maintain the old forts and colonial strongholds in the Earth Kingdom. Then, they're given orders to attack on sight, and battles occur. They're not petty little exchanges of words, either. They're serious, and often times, people on both sides lose their lives to their wounds. This has been going on for the past few years, and he knows that it won't be too much longer before another war starts.

"-I'm not gunna be takin' orders from some lyin' usurper." He says, and he kicks at some imaginary dirt. "I might as well just go join those damned loyalists," He pauses and nudges the man next to him with his elbow. "Get me a nice tattoo, yeah?"

They both laugh, and Katara ignores this as she shakes her head. "No, no, don't say that. Just give Zuko some time to figure all this out."

The soldier turns towards her and glares up at her. "It's been eight years." He sneers.

Katara lets out a huff as she stands. She had read Zuko's original orders, and he never once said anything about attacking on sight. Something really was going on here. Someone was giving out the wrong orders, and she felt like it was on purpose, to cause trouble, and tension between the two nations. Someone wanted another war, someone wanted Zuko to fail. Someone here, among the ranks, was trying to sabotage all the good Zuko had done. Someone here, seems to have remained loyal to Ozai, instead of Zuko.

She goes to try and find the person with the highest ranking here, and she orders him to his office, with her not far behind him. She demands he give her the transcripts of the orders, and he searches for them for a moment before he pulls them from a file cabinet. Katara skims over them, and she sees that there are not any differences in any of the orders, anywhere along the line. The order this Colonel was given was identical to the one Zuko had sent out. So, who was giving the orders, and how? Someone was giving completely different orders than Zuko's original, and it was making it look like was he was saying one thing while doing another. It was making him out to be a liar, and it was putting his soldiers' lives on the line. It was making them not trust him, believe in him, or want him as their leader.

As the Colonel exists the room, she studies the two packets of paper. She notices there are small differences in the calligraphy, but Zuko had said he had given her the original, so the one written by him. Maybe the orders are re-written by someone else, so Zuko always a copy for himself, while another goes through the ranks. The ink on the original is a deep, dark black, with little shimmers of gold, while on the other, it looks as though black ink has been diluted with gold, in an attempt to have it gleam like the original. She rubs the papers between her fingers and feels that Zuko's original paper is thin and smooth, while the second is bit rougher and thicker. She holds them up to the light to see the difference in thickness, and that's when, in the second set of orders, she sees a faint shadow of writing you can't see in the indirect light. She lets out a gasp at the sight of this and decides to hold the paper over a candle, to see if the light source will work. It does, and she can now clearly read the hidden words.

Ash Land Maneuver Six

Stationary Two Weeks

Day Fifteen Attack on Sight

Secondary Sunbird

Katara lets out a huff and she shakes her head. She has no idea what any of this means, but she does know that she's found out how the orders are getting changed. Someone switches out the original for one like this, with a hidden message. They copy Zuko's penmanship, and they even imitate the ink he uses. They use the outside message as a decoy and then take orders from the hidden message. She rolls up both the original order and the one that's been given to her by the Colonel as she stands, tucking them into her sleeve, and she makes her way into the hallway, where he stands, waiting for her.

"Did you find whatever it was you were looking for?" He asks her, as she makes her way over to him.

"No," She says simply. "Everything is all good. Thank you, Colonel...?" She asks, leaning towards him a bit.

"Seiji." He says, and he gives a deep Fire Nation Bow.

"Colonel Seiji" Katara gives him a small bow in return before she goes back to the infirmary.

Katara goes back to healing everyone she can, and she finishes up, leaving only a few people with a minor injuries left to heal on their own. She boards the airship once again and eats a quick dinner before she goes to bed. As she lays in her bed, she glares at the window, dreading having the dream again. She flings the covers off her and hops out of the bed, so she can tug the curtains shut before she falls back down into the mattress, to sleep peacefully for the night.

–-

When she gets back to the palace, she immediately goes Zuko. She's happy when she finds him in his office, where he is near all of his files.

"Zuko, I need to talk to you." She says as she stands in front of his desk.

He does a little jump before he looks up at her, she must have caught him off guard and startled him. "What is it?" He asks annoyance in his voice already. He must be cranky and tired, as his eyes are puffy and red. She ignores the gloomy expression on his face, this is important.

She tosses the transcripts of the orders onto his desk. "Someone is tampering with the information you send through the ranks. Someone is changing the messages you send out."

Zuko slowly picks up one of the packets, only using his thumb and index finger to lift it off the desk, as if it's something that will hurt him if he gets too close. "That's crazy." He says he with a sniffle, as he begins skimming over the messages.

"No, it isn't. It's true! Look at them!" She argues with him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Katara, I trust every single person these files go to. Not one of them would do anything like that! And these are exactly the same!"

"Well, one of them obviously is! No, they're not. Hold that one up to the light." She extends an arm out, as she motions towards the papers.

Zuko shakes his head and tosses the packet back down onto his desk. "I don't have time for this right now." His voice softens a little as he puts his head down, bringing a hand to his forehead to massage his temples.

"Zuko, you have to look at it!" She says, stepping towards him, placing her hands on his desk.

"No, I don't!" He glares up at her.

"Yes, you do! This is serious!"

"No, I don't!" He stands up abruptly as he growls out at her. She leans back a bit, as he seems to tower over her. "How dare you come into my office unannounced, interrupting my work! And then you go on to accuse some of my most trusted soldiers of tampering with official documents! That's treason!"

Katara flinches back a bit at his anger, but she still fights with him. "Zuko, please-"

"Who are you to speak to me in such a manner!?"

"Come on!" She pleads.

"Get out!" Katara's jaw drops and her eyes widen. Zuko had never spoken to her like this, with such raw emotion. She sees his glossy eyes, and she gets the feeling that he's not telling her something, he's hiding something, and he's taking his anger out on her. She hesitates, and he points towards the doorway. "Now!"

Katara turns on her heel with a huff, and she briskly walks out of his office. She spends the day wandering around the palace freely, as she has a grand tour pass. It's been hours since her argument with Zuko, but she still hides behind the corner of a wall when she spots him and Poppy making their way through the halls, and out of the front doorway of the palace. She avoids them at all coststhroughout the day, and she spends her time wandering around until it gets dark out. She heads back to her room as the moon shines brightly through her open window, as it was now nearly full, and she has another dream.

This time it was intense, and she could make out, even more, things. Now, there is only the sound of a little boy crying as the sequences flash. She sees the stars again, only now they are connected into constellations she can actually make out, and she recognizes the one in the middle, the focus point is the Ursa major. Then she has the vision she had once had in the swamp. She runs through the water towards the vision of her mother, just as she had all those years ago. She extends an arm out, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder, tugging lightly to have her face her. Only when she turns around, it's not her mother or the tree stump it had actually been. Instead, it's a woman she's never seen before, with long black hair running down her back, worn up in a style similar to what Katara had worn at the gala, she has amber eyes and a beautiful face. Katara can hear herself call out 'mom?' in her dream, before the last vision flashes. It's a fire, and now she can make out what the item is that's burning. It's a crown, a crown from the Fire Nation.

* * *

 **A/N: thank you all for your reviews! We love hearing what you all have to say and what you're thinking! Thanks for the faves and follows as well!**

 **Thank you** **ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Finding Home**

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Katara wakes up with a jolt and she tosses the covers off of her before she flings her legs over the side of the bed. She pushes herself off the mattress and begins making her way down the halls aimlessly, ignoring the sight of the nearly full moon as she does so. She doesn't know what to do, or what to think. She doesn't understand why she keeps having this dream. What does it mean? Why is it so intense, and why can she really feel the pain in her heart? She has managed to make her way back up to level seven, and she is ripped from her thoughts as she hears a commotion from around the corner. She runs towards Zuko's office and sees that his door is open. She can see that his desk has been tossed onto its side, the papers that once been sprawled across it are now all over the floor, the chair he usually sits in lays on it's back.

"Zuko!" She calls out, as she runs through the doorway. She spots him standing in the middle of the room, his head held low, and his fists clenched tight at his side. "Are you alright? What happened?" She asks as she makes it to his side. She becomes immediately concerned, she sees that he's got tears running down his cheek.

"Get. Out." He says through clenched teeth. The flames from the lanterns on the wall flicker a little brighter with each word.

"Zuko, what's wrong?" She asks, genuine worry in her voice. She puts a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Katara," He warns, his voice low.

She shakes her head at him. "Talk to me, Zuko." She says softly, her voice just above a whisper. "I know there's something bothering you. You can tell me."

He looks away from her as he tenses up even more, tightly closing his eyes. "These. People," He manages to get out as if it had pained him to say the words. He bites his lip hard as he tries to stop crying. She leans closer towards him, pulling her arm around his shoulder, silently assuring him that she was there for him. "I just- I-" He steps away from her and turns, collapsing down onto the window bench, his back hitting the glass so hard she's surprised it doesn't break. "I just want my mother!" He exclaims as he hides his face with his hands.

Katara rushes over to him and sits at his side. She puts an arm around him again and holds him tight. "What's going on, Zuko?"

"They send me these letters saying they know where she is! Or that they've found her! Or that they are her!" He yells out.

"Sir!" A guard calls out, as he runs through the doorway.

"Leave!" Zuko orders and the guard doesn't have to be told twice. As the flames from the lanterns bellow up dangerously with Zuko's rage, the guard turns on his heel and quickly makes his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What do you mean, Zuko?" Katara asks, attempting to get him to calm down and focus on what the real problem was.

He quickly wipes his face with the back of his arm. "I've sent out search parties, put up wanted posters. Kaine has searched, and I've searched myself. But I can't find her." He explains sadly. "And these people, they lie to me! They set me up, just so they can meet me, or try to kill me! But, don't they get it!?" He turns his face away from her. "Don't they understand!?" His voice quivers. "This - this is torture!"

Katara holds back her own tears as she hears him hold back sobs. He's trying his hardest to keep it together in front of her. "Oh, honey," She coos. "I'm so sorry, Zuko. I'm so sorry." She rests her cheek on his shoulder and rubs his back as they sit in silence for a few minutes. He sniffles a few more times, and she knows he's trying to regain his composure.

He lets out a sad huff, as his lip quivers. "I have nothing of her." He admits softly. "Nothing! No letters, no good pictures, nothing that had once been hers!" Katara swallows hard, as she thinks about her mother's necklace, and how incredibly precious it is to her. "I don't even know if she's alive or not, and I all have are these memories and-" He pauses for a moment as his voice strains. "I- I don't even know if they're real. Are they dreams? Have I made them up?" Zuko's voice cracks, and he looks away from her, hiding his pained expression.

Katara covers her mouth with a hand as she begins to cry as quietly as she can, as to not draw attention to herself. She remembers how Sokka had once confessed to Toph that he wasn't even sure if he remembered what their mother looked like. She knew it was painful for Sokka to feel that way, and she knew it must be just as terrible for Zuko.

She wraps both her arms around him and holds him tight, even though he seems to ignore her at first before his muscles relax and he leans into her a bit. "Oh, Zuko. I'll help you. I'll help you find your mother," She says softly. "I promise, Zuko, we'll find her."

They pull apart a bit, as Zuko puts his weight against the wall instead of her. He keeps his eyes closed, and they both sit in silence as he takes his time to calm down. Katara goes back to softly rubbing his back for a bit before she places her cheek on his shoulder again, this time she faces the window. She looks out into the gardens and sees the flowerbeds are no longer in bloom, as the fall weather is too cold for them. She sees the trees sway in the soft wind, and the sound of the leaves rustling is soothing. There are a few, small water features, and the moonlight sparkles along the ripples from one of the fountains. Katara furrows her brows and looks up to the sky. She stares at the moon for a while, and she silently asks, 'Is this what you were trying to tell me?' She gets no audible answer.

"I'm sorry." Zuko's soft words startle her, and she does a little jump as she looks over towards him.

Katara shakes her head, and she brings her hand from his back to his face, so she can brush some of his hair from his face, pinning it behind his ear. "Don't be, Zuko. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Zuko shakes his head. "I was horrible to you earlier," He slowly looks over towards her. "I shouldn't treat you like that after you've helped me so much."

Katara gives him a weak smile. "You were directing your anger towards me, I understand, it's okay."

"No, it's not." He protests, though his voice stays soft and gentle. "I really appreciate your help, Katara. You don't deserve that sort of behavior at all." They continue to look each other in the eye, as they begin to get a little closer, then Zuko looks away from her, and towards the mess of papers scattered across the floor. "I looked at the papers." He informs her, and she raises a brow, even though he may not see her do it. He motions towards the turned over desk and papers all over the floor. "I've kind of made a mess, too"

Katara lets out a small laugh and she gets up, too. She makes her way over the papers, and kneels down, gathering some up into a small pile. "Here, I'll help you."

They work in silence, and Katara tries to organize the papers the best she can. She has no idea which ones were supposed to go where, but they had all been scattered across his desk before, so she figured it honestly didn't matter. Zuko lifts the heavy wooden desk back up into place, and he carefully puts the little knickknacks he had on it back in their spot. A small vase, surprisingly intact, a small picture of his Uncle, his quill and ink jar, its contents having disappeared into the carpet. He takes the papers from Katara as she hands them to him, and he only flips through them, only moving a couple in a different order before he places them back onto his desk.

Once they finish tidying up, Zuko wipes his face with the back of his arm one last time, and Katara pats him on the shoulder. She gives him a soft smile before she turns, making her exit. He quickly reaches out and catches her around the waist, causing her to turn back around and face him. Noticing where his arm his, Zuko takes his hand from her hip to her shoulder, as they stand rather close.

"Katara," He starts softly. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, and he glances down before he looks up at her. "Thank you."

Katara smiles back and puts her hand over his. "You're welcome, Zuko. Just know that I'm here for you, alright?." She gives him a small nod before she turns, and begins making her way back to her room for the night.

In the morning, Katara already knows that she has slept past the time that Zuko would typically be in the dining hall, so she just goes straight to his office, knowing she'll probably find him there. On her way, she thinks about the series of events that have happened lately. Kaine turned out to be a major jerk, she has heard about the rising tension between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, as well as hearing about a group known as 'Ozai Loyalists', she found those hidden messages, she kept having that terrible dream, and Zuko had a bit of a breakdown about his mother.

She cringes at herself as she thinks about Kaine. She lets out a huff, as she slowly makes her way up the stairwells. He really did remind her of Jet. He was tall, handsome, mysterious, and had a way with words, he just got her all wrapped up. At least Kaine hasn't tried to murder an entire village of people, or anyone, for that matter. But did he really have to say what he said? It had really hurt her feelings when he said that them being together didn't have to mean anything. To her, it meant that it wouldn't mean anything to him, even if he said it did. She's embarrassed, and she feels incredibly foolish, for letting him sweep her off her feet so quickly. She let him get away with a lot of small things that had rubbed her the wrong way, and she wishes she hadn't. She's annoyed at herself with how far she let it go, but she is happy, though, that she had not let it go too far that night.

She thinks about what is happening on the borders between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, and she really hopes everything will turn out alright. Zuko had said that this had been happening for the past couple of years, and she wonders if this was one the things Aang had been keeping from her. This may have been one of the many things he had avoided, though, since it involved Zuko. She also doesn't understand the message that she had found, hidden in the order. What were the ash lands? Why remain stationary for two weeks, and then attack? What was a Secondary Sunbird? Who was Secondary Sunbird? Something was definitely going on, and people were covering for each other.

This reminds her of what that one soldier had said, about the Ozai loyalists. She knows that a group of rebels had been a major issue during the first few years Zuko had been in office, but she thought they had gotten tired by their lack of success, and dispersed after a while. Apparently, they had only gone into hiding and were doing things behind the scenes, even now. They must be infiltrating the ranks, and she can't help but wonder if any of them have infiltrated the palace, as well. She knows it will probably hurt Zuko to hear that one of his own soldiers had said something about joining them, but she makes a mental note, to be sure to ask him about the group.

She finally makes it to level seven, and she holds herself back as the fourth or fifth guard asks for her permit. She wants to spit out at him, 'where had you been the other night?', but she holds her tongue. She glares at him, though, as she passes through the doorway. 'Are you one of them?' She asks silently.

Katara looks out the window as she strolls through the hall, looking out at the gorgeous blue sky. She thinks about the dreams she's been having when the moon is out. She tries to think about each individual sequence, and what they could mean. A little boy crying, who she can't help but think is Sokka for some reason. She had originally thought that the two little kids had been him and her, but in her latest dream, it had only been a little boy crying, so it must be him. She had recognized the constellation as the Ursa major, she knew because of that book on astrology she had read. She hates reliving the vision she had once of her mother in the swamp, and she doesn't understand why she doesn't know who the woman is when she turns her around to face her. And she doesn't get why a Fire Nation crown would be burning. She doesn't know what the majority of the vision could mean, but she hopes the last one isn't a bad omen, with the potential for war on the horizon between the Earth kingdom and Fire nation.

She lets out a soft sigh, as she spots Zuko sitting behind his desk, focused on a paper he holds up. She leans up against the wall and watches him around the corner for a bit, as she thinks about what had happened the previous night. As she thinks about it, she feels like maybe Yue really had been giving her those dreams, those messages. They had gotten stronger as the moon had gotten fuller, but she still doesn't know what to think about the majority of them. She is glad the dreams had woken her up last night, though, otherwise Zuko would have been alone. Her heart hurts for him, as she thinks about the pain he must have to with on a daily basis. It hurt her, of course, thinking about the loss of her own mother. She puts a hand up onto the stone of her necklace. At least she had this, to remember her by. Katara pushes herself off the wall and makes her way over to his office, but she pauses as a young servant girl reaches the door first. Katara takes a few steps back, to stay out of sight.

"Good morning, Zuko," Says the girl, and Katara hadn't recognized her at first, but it's Zalia. Her long, light brown hair is now pulled up into a simple ponytail instead of the top-knot it had been in when the two first met. "I brought your tea." She places a small tray onto his desk, and he reaches over and takes the small cup of tea from the plate it sits on.

"Good morning, Zalia," He takes a sip of his tea and finally looks up at her from his papers. "Oh, your hair is pretty," He smiles at her, a bit awkwardly. "I didn't know it was so long."

From Katara's angle, she can see Zalia blush and smile as she rocks back onto her heels a little, nervously. "Thank you, Zuko. You're looking handsome, too." She quickly brushes some loose strands from her face before she tells him that she'll see him later, and he gives her a nod before he turns back towards the papers on his desk.

Katara waits for a moment before she decides to make her way over to him. He catches glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, and he gives her a small, worried look before he goes back to looking at his papers. He shifts a bit in his chair, as she comes around his desk to take a seat in the chaise lounge. "Katara," He greets, a hint of nervousness in his voice. He swallows and places the paper down, looking up at her. "I'm sorry about last night." He says.

Katara shakes her head at him. "No, don't worry about that," She insists. She wipes imaginary dust off the front of her shirt as she sits up straight in the lounge, facing him straight on. "But, there is something I do want you to worry about, though."

Zuko lifts a brow and leans back into the chair. "What is this about, Katara?" His voice is low, and she can tell he's giving her the warning to watch her place. She doesn't care.

"I have to speak with you about what happened when I went to the fort in Fire Fountain City." Zuko lets out a huff and rolls his eyes as he looks away from her, and she continues before he can start. "One of the men said some things, and they're things I think you should know." She pauses, as he focuses his eyes back towards hers. His amber eyes pierce into her blue ones." He said something about a group called Ozai Loyalists. I think that someone through the ranks is one of them, and that's who's putting those messages into the orders."

"You think I haven't thought the same?" He asks, tilting his head a bit. "You don't think I've searched? I've gone through every copy of every order I've ever sent to the Colonial Units." He pauses and looks away for a moment, and his shoulders drop in a sort of defeat. "It must be someone on the front lines," He sighs and puts his hands behind his head, as he looks around the room in thought. "But that's impossible. I know every name of every soldier who's present at the attacks, and not one soldier is ever at each of them. So, it must be someone in the ranks, then. But it's not. I've searched every office, every personal quarter," He pauses and he focuses on something outside the window. "I've even gone as far as searching their homes... but I can never find anything." He admits the last part softly and looks back towards her.

Katara lets out a huff and her own shoulders drop in defeat. Zuko had already gone to great length to find who it is. "So, who do you think it is?" She asks.

"The Earth King." He blurts out. "I think the Earth King is lying." He gets tense, as he leans forward, over his desk.

Katara shakes her head. "No, Zuko."

"I think the Earth King is lying, and the Avatar is covering for him," Zuko growls.

Katara's jaw drops a bit, and she shakes her head again. "You can't be serious."

"Who else could it be, Katara? I've already searched my own soldiers like some sort of hound, and I've found nothing. How do you think that's made them feel, with their own Fire Lord unable to trust them? Having their desks and file cabinets searched, their own private rooms in the forts, their own homes! It must be a mole, from the Earth Kingdom! There's no one else it could be!"

"Zuko..."

"Katara!" Zuko stands, and he glares down towards her. She shuts her mouth but glares right back up at him. She's confused when his expression softens, but she makes sure hers doesn't falter. "I want you to come with me to the attic."

She shakes her head in confusion. "What? Why?"

"I was thinking about last night," Katara lets out a sigh at this. Zuko was just as odd as he had been when he was younger. "And I want to go through my mother's old furniture. Maybe there's something there of hers." He nods towards the door, as he begins making his way towards it.

Katara hesitates, and she stays still on the lounge for a moment. She furrows her brows in thought. Zuko really did not like speaking about the Ozai Loyalists. With good reason, as they have tried to kill him multiple times in the past, but she had a feeling that now, he was just avoiding it a little too much. She doesn't like how he changed from one subject to another so quickly, and she really hoped that some of Kaine's other traits hadn't rubbed off on him. As Zuko stands by the doorway, waiting for her, she tries to not think about it too much, and just humor him for now. She pushes herself off the lounge with a huff, and she follows him through the halls and stairwells up to the attic.

The attic is dark and dusty. Thousands of little dust particles can be seen floating around in the air through little beams of light that come through the thin vents and windows on the attic walls. It's surprisingly not as full as Katara thought it would be. She had assumed that would be generation upon generation worth of things, but there really weren't. She could tell that a few things could probably be considered ancient, but not much. Most of everything seemed relatively new, and Zuko immediately goes over to the pile of furniture she had been looking at.

There's a collection of furniture that seems to have been part of a set. All of the wood is made from the same lumber, and they all have similar ornate patterns carved into them. They feature little etches of woods that have been burned into the wood, little scenes of rivers, with deer-elk along the tree line. Some are different animal tracks, other animal portraits. Badger-otters, bears and deer-elk are the main three she recognizes among the etches.

Zuko takes a hand and wipes the top of one the dressers. He turns his hand over and it's covered in a layer of dust. He makes an 'ugh' sound and wipes his hands together, getting rid of at least a bit of the filth. "This was my mothers," He says, as he opens a drawer, see's that it's empty, and closes it again. "She brought it with her when she first came here, but Ozai thought it was too tacky, so he had it all put up here."

Katara runs her finger over one of the etchings on the headboard to an old bed frame. It's a bear, walking with her cub at her side. She searches through old pillows and sheets, she pats the top side of drawers, searching for anything taped up there, she searches under the mattress. She doesn't know what she's searching for, anything really, but she tries to look in places she would have hidden something precious when she was younger.

"Wouldn't your mother leave you something, if she had anything?" She asks as she begins checking the drawers in one of the bedside tables.

"I think so, but someone could have taken it before I saw it."

"What do you mean?"

Zuko lets out a sigh, and he looks over towards her from one of the old photo albums he has in his lap. "She left in the night, without many words... I fell asleep again before I even realized..." He pauses and looks away. "I thought it was a dream." He says softly.

Katara makes her way over to him and sits next to him on the floor. "I'm sorry." She says, giving him a small smile. He shakes his head and shrugs before he returns his focus to the album. She follows his gaze and looks towards the pages. She notices that the faces of the people have been burned, leaving a hole in the photos. "Who did this?" She gasps.

"I don't know," Zuko flips a page, and it's all the same. Family paintings, ones of a single person, all with the face burned out. A little girl and pudgy little boy sitting at a table, with a large plate of cookies before them. A little, faceless girl standing before a door, presumably gazing out of the window in the door."My father, probably."

Katara places her hand on one of the photos, one of a little girl, now faceless, sitting on the bed with the frame that now sits in the attic. She recognizes the etchings in the wood, mainly the one of the two bears. This must have been his mother when she was younger. She gets up to leave him with the photos, and she goes back to looking at the bed frame. As she examines it, she sees that there are three panels making up the front side of the headboard, each with a different carving in it. She knocks softly on the wood, and she can hear the frame is hollow. She puts her hand firmly on the panel with the bears, and she feels the wood shift beneath the pressure. She puts a thumb on either of the lower corners and presses hard, causing the wood panel to fall out of place. It drops down into the headboard itself, and Katara is able to slide the panel over, and she reaches into the headboard and feels around. She smiles as she feels some sort of a book, and she pulls it out into the light.

"Look!" She says as she holds the book in front of her. She opens it, and a photo falls out of it. Zuko gets up and makes his way over to her, picking up the picture on his way. He comes to her side and holds the photo in front of them both, flipping it over, so they can both see it.

"My mother!" Zuko exclaims, and Katara's jaw drops as she takes in a gasp. This was the woman she had seen in her dream. "What?" He asks, noticing her reaction.

"I- um," She stammers, not wanting to tell him that she's seen her before, even if it was in a dream. "She's very beautiful!" She says quickly.

Zuko looks back towards the photo, and Katara is relieved when it seems like that had been a good enough answer for him. "Yeah," He sighs out, sadly. "She was." Katara looks up at him, and she sees the pained expression on his face. She wants to tell him about her dreams, and how she's beginning to think that she is supposed to help him find his mother, but she doesn't know how to explain it, she just can't seem to find the words, and she doesn't want to end confusing and hurting him. He must notice her stare, because he looks over at her, their eyes locking. They look at each other for a moment, before Zuko finally speaks. "What?" He asks softly.

Katara blinks, realizing how hard she had been looking at him. She brushes the loose baby hairs from her forehead, and she turns her focus to the book she holds in her hand. "This must be her diary." She flips through a few pages, realizing they are all just about full. "Maybe you should read it."

"No." He says, as he turns away from her, and makes his way back over to the album on the floor.

"What? Why not?" She asks, turning around to face him, as he sits on the floor again.

"I'm not going to read my mother's personal thoughts!"

"But this could help you find her!" She presses.

Zuko shakes his head. "I don't feel comfortable reading her diary, Katara." He says this firmly, and she knows he won't.

"I will."

"Katara-" He protests, and she makes her way over to him, sitting next to him again.

She reaches out and places a hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, I told you we would find her. I promised." She pauses as he closes his eyes and hangs his head. She leans over and puts her face close to his, and he must feel her presence because he opens his eyes to look up into hers. She shutters a little, realizing just how close she had gotten to him. She had never seen his eyes this close before, and they really are a beautiful, glimmering gold. She hesitates a bit, feeling a flutter in her chest as they hold each other's gaze for a moment. "Maybe she has more things hidden in the palace, maybe..." She trails off, wondering if she should say the next thing or not. She does anyway, knowing it may be just what she needs to get Zuko to allow her to read the diary. "Maybe she had a necklace, too."

A small smile tugs at Zuko's mouth, and he sits up straight, putting space between them. He lets out a sigh. "I don't think I would wear it."

They both laugh a little. "I'm sure she'd understand." She jokes back.

He gives her a little smile. "Alright, you can read it."

Katara smiles back and nods.

They sit in silence for a while, as Zuko flips through the pages of the old album and Katara begins reading the diary. It's not too long that Zuko decides it's time to head back, as he still has a lot of work to do, and Katara agrees. They stick close to each other as they go down the halls, but then they split ways, with him making his way back to his office, and her back to her room.

She reads through a few pages before her mind begins to wander a bit, and she begins wandering around the halls. She thinks back to that soldier from the fort, and she thinks about the Ozai Loyalists. She figures that Zuko won't be telling her much about them, as he seems to not want to speak about them, or anyone who could be involved with them. That day she had seen Kaine toss the packet onto Zuko's desk behind her back still bothered her, and she can't help but feel suspicious about him. It didn't help his case that he was the Grand General, and one of Zuko's good friends. Of course, he would be overlooked during a search. She needs to speak with someone would know about the Ozai Loyalists and Kaine. She spots Zuko and Poppy sitting in one of the lounge areas together, and this gives her an idea. She knows who she needs to go speak to.

* * *

 **A/N: thank you all for your reviews! We love hearing what you all have to say and what you're thinking! Thanks for the faves and follows as well!**

 **Thank you** **ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Finding Home**

* * *

Katara makes her way out of the front doors of the Palace. She's not sure if this person will want to speak with her, but there's really no reason for them not to. They had never really had anything against each other, other than them, at one point, being on different sides during the war. But she had heard about how this person had helped Zuko and her brother before, so she knew she wasn't all bad. Plus, she had once had a particularly good relationship with Zuko, and Katara hoped she would be willing to help him.

She makes her way over to one of the guards who stands before the front gate of the Palace, and she asks him, "Could you direct me to the Lady Mai's house?" And he points forward, to a house sat facing the palace, a few yards away. "Oh," Katara says, realizing that it was that house, right in front of the palace. "Thank you." The guard gives her a bow, and she makes her way over to the front door.

Katara hesitates a bit, as she begins to get a little nervous. What would Mai think of her being here, dressed in Fire Nation clothes? About her helping Zuko with something so personal? Katara lets out a sigh. Why does it matter? It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you, she tells herself, and she knocks on the door a couple times.

It's not long before a young man with brown hair and eyes opens the door. "Oh, hello." He greets. Katara gives him a bow. "Can I help you?" He asks.

"Hi." She greets with a wave, trying to press through the anxiety she feels in her stomach. "I'm Katara. I was wondering if Mai is home? I'd like to speak to her."

The young man looks over his shoulder for a moment before he looks back towards her. "Yeah, okay. Come on in." He opens the door wider, and motions towards the room, allowing Katara to step inside. "This way." He closes the front door behind her and leads her a little way into the house, where there is an open kitchen and sitting area. He makes his way over to one of the sofas and sits next to Mai. Katara follows and stands before one of the chairs as she turns to face Mai.

"Mai." Katara greets.

Mai is lounging on one of the sofas, sitting deep into it, but at the sight of Katara, she sits up straight. Mai tilts her head to the side a little. "I'm sorry?"

Katara swallows hard and tries to not let her nerves get the best of her. She wants to leave, but she knows she shouldn't. "I'm Katara." She informs.

"Oh!" Mai nods and leans back into the sofa. "I remember you. The Avatars waterbending girlfriend."

Katara's smile and shoulders drop. "Uh, yeah." She glances away for a second before she looks back towards Mai. "Not anymore."

"What, he took away your bending, too?"

"No. I- uh, could I sit?" She finally asks. Mai nods, and motions towards one of the empty chairs. Katara thanks her and takes a seat, brushing some of the loose baby hairs from her forehead as she does so. Once she sits, she begins to tug at the hem of her shirt nervously.

"So," Mai huffs out. "What do you want?"

"I want to ask you about some things if that's okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Katara smiles in relief and she takes a moment to get her thoughts together. She wasn't sure of what to ask of first. What happened between her and Zuko, and who was Poppy? Who was Kaine? Who are the Ozai Loyalists? She lets out a small huff before she starts. "Who are the Ozai Loyalists? What do they want, exactly?"

Mai and the young man glance towards each other, before Mai answers. "They're a group of rebels, mainly old men, and war-dogs, who want Zuko dead. Why?"

"Well, I think one of them has infiltrated the ranks in the military. They're trying to start another war."

The young man does a little, knowing, laugh. "Well, of course, they've infiltrated the ranks! They walk the streets, they work in the tea shops, clothing stores, stores that sell knickknacks. They're in the military, they're noblemen, commoners. Palace workers, even."

Katara's heart skips a beat. That was incredibly daunting, thinking about Zuko sleeping with the enemy just around the corner. "If they're already in the palace, why don't they just kill Zuko, then?"

"Because they can't just kill him like that," Mai starts. "There's not enough of them. If they kill Zuko, and Ozai takes the throne back, then a group of Zuko Loyalists could just kill Ozai. Then who would be Fire Lord?" Katara looks down towards the ground, thinking about it. Before she can come up with an answer, Mai continues. "They're taking their sweet time."

"How can we figure out their plans?" Katara asks.

Once again, Mai and the young man look towards each other. After they come to some sort of silent agreement, the young man speaks. "They have secret meetings, in different places around the city. They leave hints around town, puzzles, that you can only solve if you're one of them."

"Could we get into one?"

The young man lets out a sigh, and his eyes dart between Katara and Mai before they finally rest towards the ground. "If you really needed to, I could get you in."

Katara smiles at first, but then it drops. He had just said that you could only find out where the meeting was going to be held if you were one of them, understood the puzzle, could read their secret language, in a sense. "Wait..." She hesitates, as she looks between the two of them, trying to read their expression for any kind of answer. They both hold straight faces, the young man looks a bit more worried than Mai does, though. "Are you one of them?" Katara asks, pointing towards Mai.

Before Mai can answer, an older woman comes out from a back room. "Oh!" She says as she spots Katara. "Mai, young lady, where are your manners? You didn't tell me we had guests, you didn't even introduce us!"

Mai lets out a long huff before she lifts a hand, motioning towards the woman who now stands behind the couch. "Katara, this is my mother. Mother, this is Katara. Kei Lo, this is Katara, Katara this is Kei Lo." She says flatly.

"Hello, Katara!" Mais mother greets, as she comes over to sit in the chair next to hers. "I'm Michi, Mai's mother!" She says with a smile.

"I just told her that." Mai sighs.

Katara smiles back and brings her attention to Michi. "Aren't you the governor of Omashu's wife?" As she asks this, all of the faces in the room sadden. Katara looks around, realizing something must have happened to Mai's father during these years.

Michi looks down. "I was," She says softly.

Mai sits up straight again, and she focuses on Katara. "My father is an Ozai Loyalist."

Katara lets out a small gasp, and Michi shushes her daughter. "Mai!" She scolds, glaring over towards her before she looks over towards Katara. She sees the shocked expression on her face, and Michi presses her lips together as she looks up at the waterbender, with sadness and heartbreak in her eyes. "It's true, my husband joined that insufferable group of people. That's why I left him." She says this softly, and with the pain that's in her voice, Katara knows it's true.

Kei Lo lets out a small huff in indignation, gaining Katara's attention. "I used to be one of them, too." He admits. "That's how I can get you into one of the meetings."

Katara nods, giving him silent thanks. "I have more to ask," She tells them, and they nod as they give her their attention. Before she can start, Michi says that she'll go start some tea, and she leaves her chair to go into the kitchen, leaving the three young adults in the sitting room. "Who's Poppy?"

Mai lets out an 'ugh' sound as she rolls her eyes. "That girl with the stuck-up nose?" She asks, and Katara holds back a small laugh. It was true, Poppy's nose was actually, physically, a bit stuck up, but in a metaphorical sense, she was also someone with a 'stuck up nose'. Katara nods, and Mai continues. "We used to play together when we little. Well, mainly her and Ty Lee. They used to twirl around all the time, it made me sick just watching them."

"So, you guys used to know each other?" Katara asks. "Does it... bother you? That he's with her now?"

Mai shakes her head. "Oh, no. I couldn't care less. Plus, everyone knows they're not really together."

Katara tilts her head a bit and furrows her brows. "They're not?"

"No, it's all just for show," Mai says flatly, and she gently takes one of the cups from the tray Michi holds out to her. Michi makes her way to each of them, presenting them their tea.

Katara figures that she will have to ask Zuko about that one later, since Mai doesn't seem to care too much about the pair, and all she seems to know is that it's a fake relationship. Katara goes on to the next thing she wants to speak about. "What about Kaine? Who's he?"

"That tall, dreary guy with the goatee?" Mai asks before she takes a sip of her tea.

Kei lo laughs a little. "Dreary? Like you have any room to call someone else 'dreary'."

"Well, he is!" Mai argues back, playing with him.

"Yeah, the dreary guy with the goatee," Katara confirms quickly, to regain their focus.

"I don't really know him personally, but I knew his brother," Mai says.

"Yeah, his brother, who is he? Where is he?"

Mai, Kei Lo, and Michi all glance around at each other, before Michi gently places her cup on the plate she holds in her lap. "What do you mean, dear? 'Where is he?'."

Katara looks over towards Mais mother and nods. "Yeah, where is he? Zuko says they were friends when they were little, but I barely hear about him, and I've never met him."

"Kaito's dead." Kei Lo deadpans, and Katara quickly looks over towards him as she takes in a small gasp.

"Yeah," Mai puts in. "He died a long time ago."

Katara's heart sinks as she thinks about it. That's why Kaine never wanted to speak about his brother. That's why he had gotten so agitated at the dinner because it was still painful to think about the loss of his brother. When she had admitted to missing Sokka, and Kaine had said he understood, this is what he meant. He misses his dead brother. "Oh," She says softly. "May I ask how?"

Mai nods. "They're from the colonies, or they have family there, something like that, but anyway, they moved back there after their father joined the army, and one day there was an attack... and Kaito didn't make it out alive." Katara's heart hurts for Kaine, even if he had grown up to be a major jerk. "Kaine joined the army shortly after, and I never heard from him again."

Katara sits quietly for a moment, as she begins to think about things. Kaine's relationship with Zuko seemed to be non-existent until after his brother's death, so why had he come back to Caldera, and why and how had he and Zuko gotten so close? They could have bonded over knowing Kaito, but would that be enough? Wouldn't it hurt Kaine, spending so much time with one his brother's childhood friends? Maybe it was a good reminder, though, of happier times. Katara doesn't know, but she does know that she wants and needs more information on Kaine.

"Could you guys tell me more about Kaine, please?" She asks, and she takes a sip of her tea.

Kei Lo places his empty tea cup on the coffee table and he scoots a little closer to Mai, stretching and putting an arm on the back of the couch, just behind her head. He looks up, in thought, before he begins telling her what he knows. He says that Kaine is very well known in the Fire Nation and in the Colonies. He went through the ranks quickly under Ozai, and when the war ended, he rejoiced with the rest of the nation and celebrated the fact that Zuko was now the Fire Lord. He moved back to Caldera and took a job as a palace guard. He went through the ranks quickly there, too, and he guarded Ozais cell for a while. Zuko noticed Kaine's work ethic and his loyalty to him as an old friend. Kaine was made Grand General, to command the armies from the Capitol, and he was also appointed Head of House Security, and he's the palaces leading guard.

"So," Katara says. "Kaine has a relationship with Ozai?"

"He guarded his cell, yeah." Kei Lo nods.

Katara looks away, and she hesitates, as she's not sure if she should ask what she has on her mind or not. Mai, Kei Lo, and Michi have all given her a lot of information, and they all seemed to be very honest, ready, and willing to help. Now was her chance to get this off her chest, and see what someone else thought of this idea. "So," She begins slowly. "Do you think Kaine could be an Ozai Loyalist?"

"What makes you think that?" Mai asks.

"Quite a few things, actually."

"We could go to a meeting, and see if we see him there." Kei Lo offers, and Katara nods. "I'll go around today and see if I can any information on an upcoming one."

"Thank you," Katara says as she stands. "Thanks for everything, I really appreciate it."

Katara leaves and makes her way back to the palace. She had gotten a little nervous at first, but she was glad that she had gone and spoken to Mai. She felt like she had gotten a lot of answers, but she does still have a lot she's not sure about. She wants to ask Zuko about his relationship with Poppy, but she really doesn't know how to go about that. She wants to ask Zuko about Kaine, too, but she knows that she will probably end up getting shut down again. She knows she needs to get evidence and prove what she feels like is the unfortunate truth.

She makes her way through the halls, and she thinks about what Mai had said. That Zuko and Poppy's relationship was just for show. Katara doesn't understand this, and she wonders why it would be. The girls in the spa had told her that they had been together for a couple years now, why would they pretend to be a pair for so long? She hadn't spent much time with Poppy at all, and she doesn't know much about her, but from what she can tell, Poppy really doesn't seem like the type of girl Zuko would be with romantically. In fact, she doesn't seem like the sort of person Zuko would put with on a friendly level. She knows it's not her place to ask about his romantic relationships, but she feels like this is sort of important. She makes a mental note to ask him when she can.

She knows that she will have to get Zuko to speak about Kaine. Zuko could yell at her, demand her to leave, call the guards on her, but she was determined to get him to talk about it. She feels like Zuko has suspected this for a while, but perhaps he was in denial. Maybe Zuko was thinking the same thing she was, but he just didn't want to believe it. Kaine was an old friend, and to be betrayed by someone you have known for so long, it's understandable that he wouldn't want it to be true. But if it was, it needed to be addressed and taken care of.

She thinks about what Kei Lo had told her about Kaine and his brother, Kaito. After Kaitos death, Kaine joined the army, probably to avenge his brother. Kaine had gone through the ranks quickly, and Katara can't help but wonder why and how. Had he done it because he fought with such determination and passion, that it caught Ozai's eye, and Kaine just went with the flow and took the promotions without really thinking? Or was it something more than that, and did Kaine want to fight not only to avenge his brother but to show the Fire Nations power? To show Ozai's power? Kei Lo had said that Kaine had moved back to the Capitol after the war, and celebrated with the rest of the world because of Zuko's new rule, but had he gone back to the homeland to reunite with Zuko and serve under him, or was it to remain close to Ozai? Kaine had become a guard, and he had been stationed at Ozai's cell. Had this been a coincidence, or had Kaine meant to end up there? Was Kaine playing with Zuko, as he had played with her? Did he just say the right things to get Zuko to trust him, so he could one day show his true colors?

Katara falls down onto her bed as she has finally made it back to her room, and she lets out a huff. She doesn't know what to think. She asks herself if she's looking too much into this. So Kaine was a little weird, and he snooped around Zuko's office when he thought no one was there. Did that really mean that he was the one messing with the orders Zuko sent out? As she thinks about it, though, Kaine may be the only one who could tamper with the messages and get away with it. Zuko obviously trusted him immensely, and because of their history, Katara would understand if Zuko skirted over Kaine's desk when searching for documents. Kaine was also Grand General, and he had access to every man and woman under him. He could send out Zuko's order all the way down the line, and then have it land on one of the Ozai Loyalists desks, right where it needed to be to pass his hidden message along. He could have documents destroyed, and because of his ranking, who would dare question it?

She thinks about it more, and she thinks about how he had been getting into Zuko's office in the first place. You could not even get past the stairwell to level seven unless you held a document appointed to Zuko, or was accompanied by him. Kaine had access to multiple documents that were to or from Zuko, but he was also Head Guard in the palace. Katara takes in a gasp as the realization hits her. Kaine must be the one having it that the guards leave the stairwells and level seven, so he could get by. With the number of guards, it was impossible that all of them were also Ozai Loyalists, so he moved them all at the same time, to ease suspicion. He probably told them it was part of rotation, and other guards would take their place immediately, but he conveniently paused the next set of guards, so he could traverse the stairwells and halls without being seen. It had to be something like that, she figures.

She massages her forehead, as thinking about all this is beginning to give her a headache. She lets out a sigh and turns over onto her side, and she spots Ursa's diary on her bedside table. She extends her arm out, and she can barely reach it, but she manages to pull it off the table and onto the bed. She props some pillows up under her chin as she lays on her stomach. She finds where she left off and begins reading. It is odd, reading someone's diary. Someone else most personal thoughts, meant only for them. She wonders what her own mother would have written about, had she kept a journal.

This diary seems to start right as Ursa arrived at the palace, and it is interesting, reading her thoughts on everything. She seems to be very excited to come to Caldera, as at that time, no commoners were allowed to even enter the capitol city. She was excited to see the mainland, and get off her little island, that had been all she known. She writes about how Fire Lord Azulon is brash and intimidating, Prince Iroh is incredibly kind and charming, and Prince Ozai is standoffish and shy.

Katara spends hours reading the diary, and as it goes on, Katara doesn't believe what's been written. Ursa seems to be so enthralled to have been selected to come to the capitol, and have an arranged marriage with Prince Ozai. She dotes on Ozai and complements him a lot. Too much, Katara thinks. As she reads through, she realizes that there is never a time when Ursa speaks badly about anyone in the Royal Family. She seems to celebrate the war and talks about how happy she is to be living in the most powerful nation in the world. This can't be right, Katara thinks.

She decides to skip through a lot of pages and skim through the words. As the journal goes on, Katara can tell that things are starting to get weird. More and more pages have drawings on them, a lot of them match the etchings that were on Ursa's old furniture, but some are just a bunch of dots with lines connecting them. Ursa's sentences break apart, and she skips from speaking about one thing to something completely different and irrelevant. Katara is at the very back of the book, with only a few pages left, and it seems like nothing is cohesive, and it's hard to comprehend. She gets to one of the very last pages, and there are bunch of words that somehow make up sentences, and above them, there is a sketch of a hill with a little house on top, the tree line in the background, and above all of this, is the moon, and a bunch of dots that Katara now figures must be stars, as they're in the sky, alongside the moon. Some of them are connected with lines, and Katara tries to figure out which constellation it is if it even is one. She turns the book to its side, upside down and back again, trying to figure out which orientation is best to look at the stars. She recognizes the big dipper, and she notices very faint lines going around the stars, sketching out a bear. She sees that the star making up the tip of the tail is darker than all the others, and Katara wonders if this is on purpose.

Katara huffs as she gets up and sits on the edge of her bed, with the diary in her lap. She flips through the pages and realizes that there is no way this journal is years' worth of writing. "This isn't it," She says out loud. "This is fake." Katara holds the diary open in front of her. "... It's... a decoy." Katara figures that Ursa must have known that someone, somewhere along the line, would read her diary. She never says one bad thing about Ozai, and Katara knows that there is no way Ozai was as cute and adorable as Ursa made him out to be in this journal. While this book is large, it was still not big enough to hold at least eleven years' worth of entries, especially with the way Ursa wrote. Katara could tell that journaling was something that Ursa must have enjoyed, just by how these fake entries were written. She wonders what the ones in the real one would say, and she wonders where the real one could be.

She lets out a long sigh, as she places the journal back to its place on her bedside table. What will Zuko think, when he hears that this journal is fake, and it holds no information on where is his mother could be. Her heart hurts for him, and she can only hope that he has an idea as to where the real one must be. It must be somewhere here, Katara tells herself. It has to be here, in the palace. Katara would tear apart that old furniture if she had to. If this journal had been hidden inside the bed frame, the real one could be hidden inside another piece of furniture. She changes into night clothes and decides to go ahead and call it night. She'll have to speak to Zuko sometime in the morning.

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 **A/N: thank you all for your reviews! We love hearing what you all have to say and what you're thinking! Thanks for the faves and follows as well!**

 **Thank you** **ML8991 for being my beta reader! I appreciate all your help**


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